I Can Be Your Hero
by futurevampiress
Summary: After watching all of his friends find their lovers, Yugi finds himself lonely and depressed. While battling inner demons, he begins to have strange dreams of a boy who looks just like him. Will Yugi be able to unveil this boy's true identity? Or will he be kept in the dark?
1. Prologue

hiiii everyone. well, this is it. the start of my very first fanfic. ever. i apologize if some of the chapters i'm going to post are a little hard to follow, with the time frame and everything. but i try my best to make people visualize what they're reading and enjoy what i have to give. i may not be a pro at this kind of thing, so take it easy on me. i'm just a beginner and i'm not familiar with this site, so i may need some help from some of you. if it looks like i did something wrong please pm me and tell me. i wanna try and do my best. thanks!

couples: JoeyxSeto, MarikxRyou, soon-to-be YugixYami

**I do NOT own Yugioh**

this is just a backstory of what Yugi has been through. the beginning of the real story will be in the next chapter

* * *

Yugi Muto is a regular, 15 year old freshman enrolled at Domino High School in Japan. He's kind-hearted and generous, sometimes too much for his own good. He's 153cm tall, has very large purple eyes, big spiky black hair with red tips and long blonde bangs. Yugi lives with his grandfather, Solomon Muto, in the Kame Game shop. Yugi's parents died in a car pile up when he was only three, and barely remembers anything about them. But his jii-chan assured him that they were very loving and polite people who cared about the people involved in their lives. Especially their only son. Yugi then knew where he gets his gentle personality from.

Yugi has been abused in the past, as hard as it is to believe. He's been bullied physically and emotionally for being 'different'. You see, Yugi wasn't like every other guy that he went to school with. Yugi was gentle, quiet, polite and child-like. This was used as an advantage over Yugi.

In his early years of elementary school, Yugi would be the kid who didn't interact much with the others. He always kept to himself and wouldn't bother to speak to anyone unless he had to. He was a clever little boy though. He always seemed to solve the hardest problems with the simplest answers. His fellow peers took notice of this, specifically the boys, and decided to make Yugi their very first target.

Everyday during school, the boys would take every chance they got to torment Yugi. From hitting his elbow to mess up whatever Yugi was working on, to hurtful names, and eventually, to physically hurting him. One day when Yugi came home from school, he had a cut along his right forearm. He lied to his jii-chan, saying how he tripped over the leg on a chair and his arm got cut on the corner of his teacher's desk when he fell. But the reality was that one of the boys who haunted Yugi everyday had cut his arm using a pair of scissors.

The boy, named Ushio, pointed out to Yugi that he had a loose thread dangling from the sleeve on his shirt. Yugi proceeded to cut it himself, but Ushio innocently told Yugi he would do it. Being the nice kid that he is, Yugi nodded his head in agreement and let Ushio cut the thread. Little did Yugi know, Ushio had one of his friends, named Tetsu at the time, to 'accidentally' bump into him while he was cutting the thread. Tetsu went along with the plan, and right on cue, Tetsu bumped into Ushio while he was cutting the thread which caused him to cut Yugi's arm with the pair of scissors.

Yugi, being the one who didn't want to attract attention, tried to hold in the tears that were threatening to leave his eyes and the cry of pain that wanted to escape his mouth. He quickly walked away from Ushio and grabbed a kleenex from the tissue box at the back of the classroom and pressed it against his arm. When the blood had stopped flowing from his arm he threw the kleenex in the garbage and remained in his seat until the end of the day. This incident happened quite a few years ago, but it still haunts Yugi today because it's a reminder of his painful past.

A few more years into school, Yugi slowly began to realize that he didn't like girls all that much. He liked them as friends yes, but not as a girlfriend. He didn't really have any female friends, mostly guy friends. Yugi's very first kiss was when he was ten, with a boy from one of his classes. Unfortunately for Yugi, one of the other boys from his class saw Yugi kissing this boy and began to spread the word. This time, Yugi wasn't the only innocent person that was affected by the situation they put themselves into, even though they didn't know it at the time. Soon after, word had spread that Yugi and Daiki (the boy Yugi kissed) had kissed under the cherry blossom tree at the back of the school. They were made fun of by their classmates, shunned and ignored. They both felt like outcasts and didn't want to deal with the pain they had to endure everyday. Yugi had several scars on his arms and wrists from cutting himself. Something a boy at his age should never have to do.

Yugi and Daiki were both sitting next to each other in class one day, and were having a light conversation. A girl named Mayumi walked passed the two and let slip the word 'faggot'. Both Yugi and Daiki stopped talking and turned around and glared at her. They're used to hearing these slurs and have learned to ignore them. They didn't think much of it, but one person had had enough.

A boy named Joey Wheeler got out of his seat, walked over to where Mayumi was sitting and slapped her in the arm as hard as he could. He had a serious look on his face, and said "Stop being mean to Yugi and Daiki." Mayumi simply held her arm and fought back the tears that were coming. Their teacher noticed something happening at the back of the class and asked what was going on. Mayumi, as if it was her job to snitch on other people, said "Joey hit me!" The teacher then called Joey to the front of the class to talk with him. Yugi and Daiki had confused looks on their faces, because people normally wouldn't stand up for them like Joey did. Yugi and Daiki both knew Joey, but they didn't really talk to him because they were afraid he'd treat them like everyone else did; a bunch of girly faggots. While Joey talked with their teacher, Ms. Yusaki, Yugi and Daiki tried their hardest to listen to the conversation over the noise coming from their fellow peers.

"Why did you hit Mayumi, Joey?" They heard their teacher ask Joey.

"Because she was being mean to Yugi and Daiki," Joey replied in monotone.

"Joey, you should know well enough that we don't hit our classmates," she said sternly.

"Well, I wouldn't have to if they weren't treating others so badly," he bluntly stated.

"And what exactly did Mayumi say to Yugi and Daiki?" Ms. Yusaki asked.

"She called them faggots," Joey simply said.

Shocked by what Joey had just told her, Ms. Yusaki told Joey to go back to his seat and called Mayumi to the front of the class.

Both Yugi and Daiki were stunned by what they just heard, and looked at each other with wide eyes.

Joey made his way back to his seat with a big smile plastered on his face and gave a wink in Yugi and Daiki's direction.

Yugi and Daiki smiled to themselves and were thankful that someone was brave enough to stand up for them. But little did they know that Joey was also like them. He liked boys too and couldn't stand seeing others suffer from what he was going through as well. Nobody knew that Joey was gay at the time, which made it all the better reason to help Yugi and Daiki as best as he could.

Yugi, Daiki and Joey quickly became friends and were always be there for one another. Joey introduced Yugi and Daiki (which were now boyfriend and boyfriend) to more of his friends. Marik Ishtar, Ryou Bakura and Seto Kaiba. Ironically enough, they too, were gay. Marik is an Egyptian with platnium blonde hair, lavender eyes, a very fit body and smooth tanned skin. He had a very energetic and happy personality with a dirty mind. Marik is dating Ryou, a quiet, shy young British boy with very bright silver hair, chocolate brown eyes, very fair skin and a slim frame. Seto had chestnut brown hair, with dark blue eyes and also had a fit body. Seto is dating Joey. Joey had big, shaggy dirty blonde hair with light brown eyes, a slim but fit body and had a knack for being a big mouth. Just like Joey, Yugi and Daiki quickly became friends with Marik, Ryou and Seto and the standards for each other were the same; they would always look out for each other and protect one another from people who wanted to hurt them in every which way.

That summer, Daiki had some upsetting news. His father had gotten promoted from his job and he was required to move to California. The only person more upset about this than Daiki was Yugi. Daiki meant everything to Yugi and didn't want to see him go, even though he was only thirteen and hadn't fully grapsed the true meaning of love. Still, Daiki was Yugi's first friend, first kiss, first lover and wanted him to stay. Sure Yugi would have Joey, Marik, Ryou and Seto, but it wouldn't be the same without Daiki. It felt like there was a missing piece to a puzzle, therefore making it incomplete. Yugi would be missing a part of him. A part of him that he wasn't ready to let go of.

Unable to do anything than cry about it, Yugi spent as much time as he could with Daiki before he had to leave. And when that dreadful day came, Yugi tried his best not to cry infront of Daiki's parents. Daiki's parents were very accepting people and didn't see their son any different. They didn't care that their son was gay. They loved him unconditionally and would do anything for him. The only thing they couldn't let him do though, was stay in Japan. As they watched Daiki say his goodbyes to his friends and give Yugi one last kiss, they couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Daiki loved his friend's and didn't want to leave them behind. But it was for the best, and they were sure that Daiki would enjoy being in the United States. Once Daiki said his last goodbye, he and his parents made their way to the airplane terminal, took their seats and waited for the plane to take off.

Instead of sulking about it, Yugi decided to be a man for once and moved on. He stilled loved Daiki, but Yugi didn't want to feel depressed all the time so he spent the rest of the summer with his friends and enjoyed every minute of it.

* * *

Two years later, Yugi was in his first year at Domino High. Joey, Seto, Ryou and Marik were in their second year, and welcomed Yugi with open arms to the place they liked to call their personal hell. It wasn't that bad. Except for the very strict teachers, the itchy uniform and the fact that every single person towered over Yugi and ignored him. He didn't mind though. He liked being unnoticed, because it gave him the satisfaction of not having to cause unnecessary trouble, if any. But just because he doesn't draw attention to himself, doesn't mean that the older, bigger people don't like to prey on the weaker ones.

Take Goro Moryomarou for example. His number one target was Yugi and spent everyday taunting him in the hallways and would shove him into his own locker every once in a while. Yugi didn't have any classes with Joey, Marik, Seto or Ryou since they were a year older than him, so Yugi had to learn how to fend for himself. He never told his friends about Goro's bullying because he didn't want them to worry and bring them into problems he had to deal with by himself. No matter how bad the bullying got, Yugi never told anyone. Not even his jii-chan. And just like before, the word had spread that Yugi was gay and had cuts along his arms, which were from his past 'battles' as Joey would say. Goro used this information to his advantage and thought of a plan to really bring Yugi down.

His plan wasn't a nice one I'll tell you that. It involved a knife, invading personal space and using threats to get what he wants. And sure enough, his plan was able to scare the living daylights out of Yugi.

The incident happened after school one day when Yugi was walking home. Goro knew where he'd be, and so he trapped Yugi in an alley and pulled out his knife. Yugi was frightened at first but he stood his ground and refused to be pushed around. This particular action made Goro bubble up inside with arousal, so he moved closer to Yugi, placed the knife on Yugi's neck above his choker, and made a lengthy cut that reached the top of his jawline. The cut wasn't too deep though, but a small amount of blood trickled out from the inflicted wound.

Yugi pressed his hand against the cut and tried not to cry from the pain. With that, Goro gave Yugi one last chance to think about becoming his personal property and left with a victorious smile on his face. But the only thing Yugi was concerned about at that moment was the gash on his neck. He would be able to cover part of it with his choker yes, but the remainder of the cut would be visible for everyone to see. Unsure of what to do, Yugi reluctantly continued his way home.

He was able to stop the bleeding, covered it with his choker and blocked the sight of the rest of the cut with the collar of his uniform. When he reached his home he quickly walked through the door so his jii-chan wouldn't see him and ran upstairs to his room. But when his jii-chan came to his room to see if he was alright, Yugi lied and said he was fine but wasn't feeling well. His jii-chan, being the respectful man that he is, then left Yugi alone until he felt better. But Yugi wasn't going to feel better. He'd have to try his hardest to hide the cut on his neck from his jii-chan and friends as best as he could so they wouldn't have to worry. But, as always, his friends knew Yugi better than he knew himself.

The next day at school Yugi was wearing his choker in it's usual spot, but also had a scarf around his neck to hide the wound from the night before. At lunch, Joey asked Yugi why he was wearing such a silly thing. Yugi lied and said he was cold and decided to wear a scarf that day. Joey knew he was lying and immediately pulled the scarf off of Yugi's neck. Joey had the look of disgust written all over his face when he saw the cut on his neck and demanded Yugi to tell him who did that to him. Yugi said he didn't want him to worry about something that he had to deal with by himself and begged Joey not to do anything. But he knew that wasn't going to happen. Joey reminded Yugi that he would always be there for him and wouldn't let anyone hurt him. Joey didn't need to wait for an answer to his question because he had a pretty good idea of the person who did something so stupid to his friend.

At the end of the day, Joey got the the full story from Yugi about what happened to him the night before and told Seto, Marik and Ryou. The three boys were very disgusted also and devised a plan on how to avenge their friend. Basically, the solution to the problem was to go find Goro and beat the living hell out of him. Of course, the solution to _all _their problems was to go and hit something until it looked abnormal.

They carried out their plan the next day at school, of all places. They didn't care though. They didn't care that they'd get suspended for starting a fight. All they cared about was the safety of their friend. When they were finished with their beatings, Goro didn't look like himself at all. He had a black eye, one of his teeth were pushed up into his gums, his arms and legs were covered with bruises and dirt and he had a huge scrape on the left side of his face. The four boys suffered a few minor cuts to their arms from the knife Goro had used but they didn't look as bad as Goro did. They threatened Goro that they would do this to him again if he tried to make another advance on Yugi. After that, they were immediately suspended for three days and Goro hadn't layed a finger on Yugi.

Yugi was grateful and thankful that his friends cared about him so much. He didn't like the fact that they had suffered some injuries as well, but they told him that they'd be alright and that Goro wasn't gonna touch him ever again. At that moment, Yugi realized that he had the best friends on the planet.

But little did Yugi know that he'd have to make some heroic actions of his own when the time came...


	2. Troublesome Thoughts

alrighty everybody, here's the second chapter of I Can Be Your Hero. i hope you'll all enjoy it!

* * *

_Intro: It was a regular Thursday night. Grandpa Solomon had told Yugi that he'd be leaving for Tokyo for the Game shop convention early on Sunday morning and Yugi would have the house to himself for the remainder of the week. There would be no one there to bother him or tell him what to do. That week, he was going to give attention to himself, and himself only. But little did Yugi know that he wasn't the only one who was going to aquire special attention..._

* * *

It was a quiet Thursday evening in the Muto game shop. Earlier that day at school during lunchtime, Joey gave Yugi an earful about all the homework he didn't finish and the assignments he hadn't handed in. As usual, Yugi replayed the events in his mind...

"I can't believe I let maself do dis AGAIN, Yug," Joey complained.

"Well, if you had better focus and actually tried to do the work you wouldn't have this problem Joey," Yugi teased.

"I can't help it. It's not like everyone can have a brain as smart as Ryou's y'know," Joey sadly replied, glaring over at Ryou.

Ryou simply smiled at Joey while saying, "You know Joey, it wouldn't be a bother to me if you let me help you like I told you before."

"Nahh it's alright, Ryou. I don't wanna ruin your brain with my stupidity," Joey answered.

"Yeah, cause nobody would want to deal with having to try to understand what goes on in YOUR dumb little head Joey," Marik snarkly commented.

"Shut up pretty boy. And don't you think I've forgotten the time you failed the easiest math test we could've possibly had," Joey reminded him.

"Eh, it's not my fault my brain can't read words as brilliantly as yours can, Joey," Marik angirly replied.

Marik was dyslexic. He's had dyslexia ever since he could remember. He'd always been teased about it and didn't like it when people knew. He's gotten better at reading, but he still had some trouble comprehending the easiest words.

Joey and Marik continued to glare at each other, while Ryou and Yugi gave concerning looks towards one another.

Ryou then looked sadly at Marik, knowing how upset he gets when people toy with him and his dyslexia. Ryou moved his hand so that it was resting ontop of Marik's. Marik felt Ryou's touch and slowly opened up his hand that was balled up into a fist, and allowed Ryou to intertwine their fingers. This method usually calms Marik down, and it did. Marik's face softened and Ryou cracked a small smile, and continously brushed his thumb up and down Marik's hand.

"So, what's everyone doing this weekend?" Yugi asked, realizing that Ryou succeeded in diffusing some of the tension that was built between Joey and Marik.

Marik and Joey both snapped out of their gaze and looked over at Yugi. They were glad that he decided to change the subject, since they didn't want another fight to ensue like last time.

"Well I'll tell ya what I'm not doin. And that's studying for that dumbass history test I have on Monday," Joey graciously let out.

"If you fail that test I won't let you eat what's left of the cake batter anymore puppy," a new voice chimed in.

Everyone turned around and recognized the face the voice belonged to. It was Seto.

Seto Kaiba is the CEO of KaibaCorp, which means that he always behaves and talks professionally. Except when he is around his friends, of course.

"Dammit Seto, I told ya to stahp callin me dat!" Joey whined.

"If you'd stop having such big brown puppy dog eyes, and pout whenever I won't let you have your way maybe I would," Seto happily explained, taking a seat next to Joey and wrapping an arm around his waist.

All the boys snickered at Joey's embarrassment and stopped when he gave them all the evil eye.

Continuing with the conversation, Ryou explained how he was going to spend most of his weekend at the library to extend his knowledge on North Americans. The rest of the group rolled their eyes and sighed at their friend's knack for having his head glued inside a textbook.

"Oh come oooon Ryou. You always go to the library on the weekend and you leave me to do nothing by myself," Marik complained. "And you don't wanna hear me go on and on about how I always have an uneventful, boring weekend. And I certainly don't wanna hear you talk about people I really don't give two flying fucks about," he continued.

Ryou was quiet for a moment, then looked up at his Egyptian. Of course, Marik was giving Ryou the look of disappointment. But when Ryou opened his mouth to protest, Marik simply placed a finger on his lips and whispered sweet nothings into his ear.

The rest of the group didn't know what Marik was saying, but by the looks of it, he was seducing Ryou to get him to accompany him this weekend.

With the blush spreading across Ryou's cheeks, the smirk creeping on Marik's lips, the fact that Marik was pressing his body against Ryou's and the sound of Ryou's whimpers, the odds of achieving victory in getting what he wants were in Marik's favour.

Finally, Ryou gave in to Marik's advances and agreed to be with him for the weekend.

Marik had a huge smile on his face and gave his young British boy a peck on the lips before settling down.

Nobody needed to ask what Joey and Seto were going to do that weekend, because they always do the same thing. Bake a cake together, watch a movie and spend some 'quality time together' in Seto's bedroom. They had to be quiet when they do what they do, since Seto's little brother Mokuba was always home.

Yugi sat back and watched his friends have their moments together.

Marik and Ryou's fingers were still intertwined with one another. Marik had his free arm around Ryou's shoulder and Ryou had his free arm around Marik's waist and they were both smiling.

Seto and Joey were a little more intimate with each other. Joey was basically sitting in Seto's lap and Seto was giving lovebites to Joey's neck.

Yugi silently sighed to himself because he didn't have anyone to kiss or spend time with. He was happy for his friends though. If his friends were happy, he was happy.

Joey noticed that Yugi was looking a little low, since his chin was resting on his knees and his eyes were losing their colour.

"Hey, you alright Yug?" Joey questioned him.

Yugi caught the suspicious tone in his voice, and quickly answered him as convincingly as he could.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, just uhh... just a little tired. Grandpa had me sort three whole boxes of Duel Monsters cards last night and I didn't stop until I was finished." It was the honest truth. Yugi did actually sort all those cards, but it wasn't the reason he wasn't being his regular energetic self. He was lonely. He would always have his friends, but he'd never have someone for himself.

"Oh," Joey whispered to himself. Joey knew Yugi was lying about the reason he wasn't being himself, but he didn't want to pressure him into telling him. So he nodded his head, and told himself Yugi would tell him when he was ready.

At that moment, the bell rang, signalizing that lunch time was over, and that everyone was to return to their classes.

* * *

Once Yugi realized he wasted about an hour replaying that day's events in his head, he got to his feet and made his way upstairs to the kitchen. His jii-chan was already there, sitting at the kitchen table reading the paper with a cup of coffee.

"Welcome home, Yugi," grandpa Solomon cheerfully said, upon the sight of seeing his grandson.

"Hey jii-chan," Yugi replied with a smile on his face.

Yugi couldn't help but smile every time his jii-chan was in a happy mood.

"How was school?"

"Oh, y'know same old same old. Marik and Joey almost started another brawl so Ryou and Seto had to calm them down," Yugi explained as if it was an everyday thing, even though it was. There hasn't been a day where Marik and Joey hadn't attempted to snap each others necks. But when it was all said and done, they'd always work it out.

"Why does that not surprise me," Solomon said smiling to himself, and Yugi did the same.

Thinking about Marik and Joey in a fight always seemed so amusing to Yugi, Ryou and Seto. Just watching them yell at each other with murderous expressions on their faces brought out the inner child in them.

"Yugi, I'll be leaving on Sunday early in the morning to go to a convention in Tokyo for the game shop," Solomon said after a few minutes of silence.

"How long will you be gone?" Yugi asked a little too enthusiastically.

"About a week, if you're lucky," his jii-chan replied in a surprisingly cheerful tone, since he could tell Yugi was eager to have him gone.

"Oh well, I hope you have a good time," Yugi said a little more calmly. But in his head he was screaming with joy.

"Until then, you still have to do what I tell you," Solomon stated.

"Yeah yeah I know," Yugi sarcastically retorted.

"Speaking of which, don't you have some chores you need to attend to? I can hear your bedroom calling your name. I think it wishes to be cleaned. Oh and what's that? A bunch of un-opened boxes filled with Duel Monsters cards that are begging to be sorted?" Solomon teased, cupping his ear with his hand.

"I'm sure my bedroom can survive another day without being cleaned, jii-chan," Yugi pointed out. "And I think those cards can til the weekend to be put in their proper place," he continued.

Solomon let out a heavy sigh. He didn't like it when his grandson didn't follow his orders. But knowing Yugi, in time, he knew he would do what he was told.

"Ok then Yugi. You can put off those next-to-impossible tasks for a few days, but in the meantime you can help an old man with the dishes," Solomon said, in a compromising tone.

Yugi let out a whine, but nodded his head and made his way over to the sink that was filled with a variety of cutlery, cups and plates.

Yugi began to take the dishes out of the sink to place ontop of the counter and filled the empty sink with hot water. He squirted some soap into the running water, pulled up his sleeves and began washing.

Solomon caught sight of the scars embedded on his grandson's arms and wrists and couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He didn't notice the signs of saddness coming from Yugi when he was just a child. He always had a smile on his face and enjoyed himself. He never questioned Yugi why he would always wear long sleeved shirts, especailly during the summer when the weather was boiling hot. He just assumed that Yugi preferred to wear long sleeved shirts opposed to short sleeve. But never would he have guessed that he wore them to cover up the cuts and scars that Yugi engraved into his body. If only he knew. If only Yugi would open up to him more and talk about the things that bothered him. But it's too late to change the past. Solomon always focused on what was happening infront of him. And right now, he was helping his grandson with the dishes.

Once the mountain of dishes were done, Yugi heated up the leftovers from the night before and made his way up the stairs to eat in his bedroom.

Grandpa Solomon said goodnight, since he knew he wouldn't be coming back down. Yugi yelled goodnight when he was at the top of the stairs, and continued on to his room. He didn't start eating until he was in a comfortable position on his bed. Once he situated himself, he slowly chowed down on his dinner and put the plate on his dresser when he was finished. He then lay on his back for a moment, looking up at the cieling, letting his dinner flow through his digestive system. After a few minutes, he got back up and lazily made his way for the bathroom to clean himself up before he went to sleep.

Yugi walked through the bathroom door and immediately took his uniform jacket off, followed by his shirt, pants and boxers. Soon enough Yugi was ready to take a shower. He stepped over the top of the tub, closed the shower door and turned on the hot water. Yugi took his sweet time to clean himself. Nobody should have to rush when they're cleansing themselves, and Yugi sure didn't. His showers usually lasted twenty minutes, a longer shower than most guys would take. After soaking his body and hair with the hot water, Yugi began to scrub shampoo into his tri-coloured locks.

'_If only I could stay in here forever_,' Yugi thought to himself. The water felt so good on his sensitive skin and the smell of the strawberry shampoo overwhelmed him.

Coming out of his trance, Yugi proceeded to wash the shampoo out of his hair and turned the water off.

He stepped out of the shower, dripping wet, grabbed a towel from the bathroom closet and wrapped his lower half. He made his way over to the mirror that was covered in steam and wiped it clean so he could see himself properly. He grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste from the cabinet on the wall and began to brush his teeth. He brushed away for the usual two minutes, swished the white, bubbly liquid in his mouth and spit it back out into the sink.

Yugi walked slowly back to his bedroom carrying his uniform and threw them on the floor when he entered. He began to dry himself off, starting with his hair, since it took the longest. Then he continued with his chest, back and legs. He threw the wet towel on the floor, pulled on a new pair of boxers and literally jumped into bed. He was so exhasuted that he could fall asleep in a second, but he couldn't. The shower he had refreshed him and wasn't ready to go to sleep. There were too many thoughts flowing throw his mind and it distracted him from getting to sleep.

'_Dammit brain, please shut up_. _I'm actually trying to get some sleep here,_' Yugi thought to himself, annoyed.

But it didn't help. The thoughts just kept coming and coming. They came so fast that Yugi couldn't keep up with them. He tossed and turned in his bed in attempt to position himself in a comfortable manner. Ultimately, he ended up lying on his back staring up at the blank ceiling.

He sighed deeply to himself, admitting defeat, and let his thoughts roam free.

He only had one reccuring thought, though. That one thought would haunt him until Yugi decided to do something about it. That one thought, was a question. And that question was, '_Why can't I have somebody for myself?_'

Yugi groaned loudly and closed his eyes.

'_Why? Why is it that my friends can enjoy themselves with their lover, but I can't?_'

"Cause you don't have one, obviously," Yugi reminded himself.

Yugi continued to groan at the thought and covered his face with his pillow.

"It isn't fair," Yugi said aloud. "It just isn't _fair_."

With one last heavy sigh, Yugi pulled the pillow off of his face, placed it back under his head and tried one last time go to sleep.

He rolled onto his side and closed his eyes. He could feel himself slowly drifting away into his dreams. But before he did, a tear managed to escape from his eye, and the dreaded thought of having no one to love popped into his mind.

'_It isn't fair_,' it echoed.

* * *

naaaaawh, poor Yugi having no one to love. i feel so bad for him :/

but don't worry, he won't stay in this state of saddness for too long ;)

i'll update as soon as i can, so please bear with me!


	3. Longing for Freedom

here's chapter three everyone! sorry i took so long to post. my mum kept telling me to get off my latop since i spend so much time on it. but she doesn't know i'm doing this so, i can't really tell her i'm writing gay fanfic. what a great conversation that'd be :s

anyway, this chapter is basically all talk. meaning that there's always gonna be people speaking.

couples: JoeyxSeto, MarikxRyou, soon-to-be YugixYami

**i do NOT own Yugioh**

enjoy!

* * *

_Intro: Friday. The day every teenager worships. Friday means the end of the week, which means no more school and not worrying about it's stressful routine. Everybody was in a very good mood that day. Except Yugi. He was feeling more tired and glum as each day passed. In just two measly days he will be temporarily living by himself, free to do as he pleases. But he is not aware of the events that are about to unfold..._

* * *

_Ring... ring... ring... ring... ring... ri-_

Yugi stopped his alarm clock from going off by smacking it to the floor, unplugging it from the outlet in the process.

Yugi rubbed his hand across his face and wiped the sleep from his eyes. He was very groggy and noticed that all of his bedsheets were on the floor.

'_No wonder I was so damn cold last night,_' Yugi thought to himself.

He looked back over at his alarm clock that he pushed onto the floor and realized that he didn't know what time it was since it was unplugged.

Yugi let out a long annoyed groan and got to his feet. He really didn't want to go to school that day. Sure, it was Friday, but he wasn't in the best mood to be surrounded by annoying people he couldn't care less about, besides his friends. Plus, he wasn't a morning person.

"Just one more day, Yugi. Keep telling yourself that and this day will be over before you know it," Yugi said aloud to himself.

Feeling the motivation build up inside of him, he energetically made his way to the bathroom to brush his teeth and hair, and wash his face. After that, he returned to his bedroom to get dressed. He raced down the stairs, taking two at a time and threw some bread into the toaster once he arrived in the kitchen.

As per usual, grandpa Solomon was already up and having his breakfast at the kitchen table. He was genuinely surprised at his grandson's sudden change in attitude and was glad that he was in a better mood today. But he couldn't help but think of all the times Yugi was hurting on the inside and how he wasn't able to see the sadness in his eyes, even though Yugi always had a big smile plastered across his face. He often wondered when Yugi wasgenuinely happy.

"Well, it looks like someone's had a nice long rest," Solomon greeted Yugi.

"Yupp. It is Friday after all. Just a few more hours and I'll be back here and doing something productive," Yugi said blissfully.

"Oh?" Solomon said, a little puzzled. Yugi would never do something productive at his own will. "And what's that?"

"Absolutely nothing," Yugi confessed in a delightful tone.

"I should've known," his jii-chan avowed.

"That's right jii-chan. I plan on doing nothing until I'm told to do something," Yugi explained.

"Is that so?" Solomon cautioned.

"Precisely," Yugi disclosed.

"Well you are a hard worker, Yugi. And I think you deserve a couple days off," Solomon jested.

"I think so too," Yugi agreed.

Only then had Yugi realized that his breakfast was still in the toaster. He rushed over to the appliance and took the two very burnt pieces of bread out of their slots.

"Shit," Yugi whispered to himself.

"What was that Yugi?" Solomon remarked.

"Ohh nothing jii-chan!" Yugi quickly replied.

Yugi knew his grandpa didn't like it when he swore, so he always tried his hardest not to use profanity infront of him. He tries not to swear altogether, actually.

"I better get going," Yugi said in a sad tone, still looking at his ruined pieces of bread.

"Hope all goes well," Solomon said, watching his grandson walk out the front door.

* * *

'_Just two more hours, just two more hours, just two more hours.._.' Yugi repeatedly reminded himself.

It was twelve o'clock. Which meant that it was lunch time. Nobody really eats during this time, since a large majority of the students stuff their faces when the teachers are out in the hallway conversing with another adult. Anyone rarely gets caught. But from time to time a student is sent to the office to write a letter to their teacher about why they shouldn't eat when class is in progress.

Yugi wasn't one of those people. He would eat when they were allowed to, which was right now.

Yugi was standing beside his locker when he contemplated whether or not he'd eat with his friends today. It always brought his spirits up when he watched his friends race to see who would reach him first. Marik has one all of them so far.

After much thought, Yugi decided he wanted to eat alone today.

Instead of walking through the back doors of the school to go to their regular lunch table, Yugi made his way to the stairs that led to the roof, located on the opposite side of the school.

Checking up and down the hallways to stay clear of any teachers, Yugi casually strolled along not wanting to attract any unnecessary attention.

Once he reached the stairway, he dashed up the spiralling staircase until he reached the door that led to the roof.

Before he went through, he took a few breathers to return to his normal breathing rate.

After he calmed himself, he took out a paperclipfrom his bag, modified its form and wiggled it into the keyhole. Students aren't allowed to possess the keys to the roof, considering it's dangerous to be wandering around in an unsecure location. The only precaution people had was the fencing on one side of the ledge.

Succeeding in unlocking the door, Yugi returned the paperclip to it's proper place, which in this case was the very front pocket on his backpack.

He then proceeded with his plan and strutted through the doorway.

The first entity one would observe when entering the roof is the phenominal view of Domino City.

The city during the early hours of the morning is soothing to the eyes, the scene is quite busy but it also seems quiet and peaceful. As you walk down the city's sidewalk, the lights dance off the cars as they fly by, reflecting your image and then stealing it away. The flow of people blurred into one anonymous sea, swallowing you into its wave of countless voices, forming one deafening sound. Even the music and its pumping beat eventually wilted into the city's thrumming voice. It's a good feeling to fall into the flow of people and allow yourself to walk nowhere. As nightfall draws nearer, its shining core of light luminates the horizon ebbing at the night's darkness. The wide variety of ravishing colours captures you in a blanket of warmth and comfort, the pert and debonair civilians navigating their way around the mesmerising city. A truly riveting place to live in.

"Haaaaa. Now this is exactly what I need. Peace and quiet," Yugi grinned.

There was literally no other place Yugi would want to be right now than ontop of his school roof, basking in the sweet serenity.

Yugi leaned against the only protection he had from drastically plumitting to his ultimate death, and took his lunch from his backpack.

The fence was less than comfortable, but Yugi didn't care how his back would feel in the hours to come. He, at the moment, only cared about having some time to himself. To think about things. With no one to interrupt him.

Yugi took a small bite out of his peanutbutter and jam sandwich, and gazed at the admirable view of his graceful city.

It seemed as if time had stopped, because Yugi found himself stuck in a trance from staring at KaibaCorp headquarters.

All the memories of giving Seto surprise visits with Joey, Marik and Ryou began to flow through Yugi's mind. All the times they acted like complete fools, running up and down the lengthly hallways on every floor, breaking one of the elevators and annoying the employees with their loud voices resulted in their banishment. Seto eventually lifted the harsh expulsion a few weeks later, due to the fact that Joey had seduced him and the two had make up sex.

Yugi smiled to himself, knowing that Joey would always go out of his way to get what he wants.

Suddenly, Yugi was distracted by the movement of the door he left ajar when he took his place at the fence. He had a strong feeling that someone was watching him.

As if his mind was just read by another, a figure came darting out from behind the door he was cloaking himself with, yelling out his name.

Yugi immediately recognized the voice that belonged to this figure. For some reason, it was Marik.

How could Marik have known that Yugi was up here?

'_Joey,_' Yugi thought, shaking his head. '_Marik probably wanted to know where I was for some reason so he went to Joey for possible hiding places.'_

Marik nearly tripped when he darted towards Yugi. That would mean that Yugi'd have to continuously kiss the wound Marik would end up receiving until he felt better. And Yugi wasn't in the mood to distribute such care to his friend.

Since Marik had disturbed Yugi's blissful lunch break, Yugi decided to make Marik pay.

Yugi sprung to his feet, faced Marik's direction and began to sprint towards him. When they were about three feet away from each other, Yugi jumped ontop of Marik, causing them both to tumble to the hard cement.

Marik moaned out of pain, holding his right hand to his head, while Yugi let out a fit of giggles.

Marik narrowed his brows in confusion. Yugi simply looked up and him and whispered, "That's what you get when you decide to interrupt me from enjoying the peace and quiet the roof has to offer."

The confused Egyptian let the words sink into his mind. A few brief moments later, his facial expression changed from discombobulated to pure amusement.

Switching roles, Yugi was now the confused one. He looked at the teen beneath him with befuddlement spread across his face.

Sensing the little one's bewilderment, Marik sat up, making Yugi sit in his lap.

"Since when do you like the peace and quiet, Yugi?" Marik asked, with a hint of tease in his tone.

"Well sometimes I like to get away from the torture and hubbub that this damn school ever so graciously offers us," Yugi replied sarcastically.

"I know the feeling," Marik agreed. "The people enrolled at this hell hole need a good kick to the balls," he added.

Yugi cracked a small smile at his friend's remark and let out a sigh.

"You ok Yugi?" Marik questioned in a concerning voice.

"Yeah, I'm alright. I've just been thinking alot lately..." Yugi let his voice fade at the last fews words of his sentence.

"About what?" Marik pressed.

"Just... y'know..." Yugi trailed off, trying to think of something to say that wouldn't worry his already anxious friend.

"No, I don't know Yugi."

Marik was beginning to lose his patience, but he reminded himself that Yugi wasn't the type of person to spill everything that was on his mind at any given opportunity. He liked to be isolated from everybody and only give simple answers like 'yes,' 'no' or 'I don't know.' So Marik let Yugi take as long as he wished, and didn't protest.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, I won't pressure you into telling me" Marik pitched in, looking at his friend feeling malcontent.

"Thanks Marik. It's just that... I don't think I should tell you. Or any of you for that matter, 'cause I don't want you guys to keep feeling concerned about me all the time. I think I have the right to keep some secrets to myself," Yugi explained.

"You're right Yugi, you do have the right. But if it's something that we can help you with, I don't see why you wouldn't tell us," Marik plausibley pointed out.

"Not unless you can find a guy that'll put up with an emotional wreck like me," Yugi mumbled.

"What?" Marik proposed, hinting that he wanted Yugi to repeat what he had said.

"Nothing," Yugi lamely replied.

Just when Marik opened his mouth to ask Yugi why he wouldn't cooperate, Yugi cut him off.

"Why're you up here anyway?"

Taken aback by the change of subject, Marik recollected his thoughts and formed an answer for his unenergetic companion.

"Oh uhmm... I, well, Joey, Ryou, Seto and I, were wondering why you weren't at our table when lunch started," Marik began. "So Joey and I decided to go look for you. I asked him if he knew any place where you might be, other than the cherry tree. He thought about it longer than he should've, since there's not many places to go, and came up with nothing. We started to walk back to the table when he remembered that you always used to come here to avoid everyone else. So I began to head the for the stairwell that led to the roof, but Joey said it was always locked and that no teacher would give the keys to a student. He decided to sit back down with Ryou and Seto, but I wanted to investigate so I went by myself and eventually I ended up here."

"Oh," was all Yugi could say. He didn't really know what to say after that so they boys sat together in silence, until they heard the sound of the bell.

"Time to go," Yugi said, pushing himself out of Marik's lap and onto his feet.

"Yeah, time to go kill myself before class starts," Marik sadly put in, with a dash of sarcasm in his voice.

Yugi smiled at his friend's annoyance and began to walk towards the door.

Marik placed an arm around Yugi's shoulder, which caught Yugi by surprise. Marik would normally push him from behind to make him go faster, but he knew that Marik knew that he wasn't having a very good day, so he tried his best to comfort him before they had to go to their classes.

'_Saved by the bell,_' Yugi thankfully thought to himself. Look then looked at the watch on his wrist.

Just one more hour.

* * *

At long last, the school day was over. Yugi couldn't concentrate for the remainder of the school hours. He was about to snap when one of his classmates constantly bugged him about things he really wasn't in the mood to listen to. But he remained silent and pulled through.

Yugi made a stop at the movie store before he returned home. He needed to distract himself from the frustration this day had caused him, especially Marik's surprise visit ontop of the school roof. He didn't mind that he decided to go look for him, he just didn't like the reason WHY he went looking for him. To check up on and him and make sure his emotional state was stable and that nothing was driving him insane.

This is the first time in a long time that Yugi had the intention of renting a movie. The first time he rented 'The Forbidden Kingdom,' with Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Michael Angarano. Yugi was into karate at some point in his prepubescent stage and literally got on his knees, begging his jii-chan to rent it for him. His jii-chan obviously got it for him, after all the fuss he made about it. He watched it with him also, and they had a good laugh.

This time around, Yugi would rent just about anything to get his mind off things. It didn't matter if it was a comedy, sci-fi, horror, drama, thriller, action or fantasy. The only genre he was going to avoid watching tonight is romance.

A bell chimed when Yugi walked though the door. There was about ten other people in the store as well, but none that Yugi knew. He started walking up and down the aisles, searching for a movie. Then, out of nowhere, someone came up behind Yugi and jumped on his back.

Yugi nearly had a heart attack and let out a scream, since he didn't expect it. He was clutching the left side of his shirt, signalizing that his heart skipped a beat. The person that flung himself at Yugi got off his back and stood behind him. Once his heart regained it's normal pace, Yugi turned around to face his attacker. Surprisingly, it was Ryou.

"Ryou? What're you doing here?" Yugi asked him.

"You don't know? I work here Yugi," Ryou answered him in a happy voice.

"Since when?" Yugi replied, confused.

"Since last week," Ryou responded.

"Do the rest of the guys know that?" Yugi requested.

"Oh yeah. I told them the day I got the job. I got a call the night before, and told them in first period during chemistry," Ryou explained.

"How come you didn't tell me?" Yugi demanded, a little hurt that his friend told everyone but him.

"I was going to tell you during lunch that day, but you weren't there. In fact, I don't think you were at school at all. None of the guys said they ever saw you walking towards the school or at your locker, so we supposed that you were sick," Ryou began. "I was going to call your house when I got the chance, but I had my very first shift that night and wasn't allowed to make any personal calls. I was exhausted when I got home so I just went straight to bed," Ryou finished.

"Oh, well, why didn't you tell me any time after that then?" Yugi suggested.

"I guess I forgot to after that because I was concentrating on school. I'm sorry," Ryou whispered, not wanting to upset Yugi.

"It's alright. Better late than never," Yugi reassured him.

This managed to get Ryou to smile and nod in agreement.

"So, what're you looking for?" Ryou asked, after a few moments of silence.

"Hmm? Oh, uhmm, something that'll make my night less uneventful I guess," Yugi replied, remembering that he was in the movie store.

"Less uneventful, eh? Then you'll probably wanna take a look over in the 'New Arrivals' section at the back of the store. We just received three boxes worth of movies from the States, including all the Paranormal Activity movies, Looper, The Hangover Part II, 21 Jump Street, The Dark Knight Rises and many others. There's definitely alot of variety," Ryou said in an excited voice.

'_Wow, Ryou gets really worked up about getting movies_,' Yugi thought.

"Thanks Ryou. I'll let cha know if I need a bit of assistance when deciding what movie I wanna take," Yugi answered in a thankful tone.

"No problem Yugi! If you need me I'll be up at the counter," Ryou happily responded.

With that, Ryou turned around and made his way towards the front counter. Yugi went in the opposite direction, to the back of the store, like Ryou had suggested.

He began scanning over the numerous movies neatly spread across the shelves. Ryou was right. There was a alot of movies to choose from. They were sorted in alphabetical order, according to genre. So it began with Action, followed by Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Horror, Musical, Science Fiction and so on. Yugi skimmed over all of the movies beginning to end. Then he started at the end of the shelf and walked along until he stopped at the comedy section again.

'_Guess I'm picking one of you guys_,' Yugi thought as he looked over the movies placed in that section.

After a few minutes of debating between Yes Man, Due Date, Step Brothers and 21 Jump Street, Yugi looked up at the front of the store to see if Ryou was still at the counter. Luckily, he was still there and he wasn't helping anyone.

Yugi silently began walking in Ryou's direction. When he was halfway there, Ryou suddenly began to walk away from his position at the counter and headed towards a door to his left. Yugi began to quicken his pace to catch Ryou before he disappeared behind the door.

"Hey Ryou!" Yugi called out to his friend.

Ryou stopped in his tracks and faced Yugi. Noticing the movies he was carrying, Ryou smiled in a foolish way and thought to himself, '_I knew Yugi'd come to me sooner of later. He's never able to make a decision by himself_.'

Before Yugi could open his mouth to ask Ryou which movie he should watch, Ryou simply put his hand up and said, "I know what you're gonna ask Yugi. And I'd say if you're in the mood for relentless immaturity, watch Step Brothers. But if you're into redundant gags involving drugs, guns, high school cliques and an endless rave of full men behaving hysterical and observe dirty moments, watch 21 Jump Street. Those are my favourites. I'll be back in a minute." And with that Ryou continued on his way and went through the door.

Thinking through Ryou's rant, Yugi made a decision. The verdict was obvious; 21 Jump Street was the movie for Yugi. He loves watching full grown men, especially attractive ones like Channing Tatum, make complete fools of themselves in the most humourous, immature ways.

Once Yugi's decision was made, he placed the unchosen movies back to their proper place on the shelf. He then returned to the front of the store, waiting for Ryou to reappear, since there was no one left in there but himself.

Yugi placed the movie on the counter and leaned against the ledge. He looked at the clock and it was already 3:30pm. He'd spent about an hour browsing many different types of movies. He usually never takes that long, but acceptions can be made.

Ten minutes passed and Ryou hadn't come out yet.

'_Where is he?_' Yugi worriedly thought to himself.

"Ryou?" Yugi wondered aloud. There no was answer. "Ryou?!" Yugi said a little louder. Still no reponse. "RYOU!" He yelled at the door.

Just then, Ryou came dashing out the door, with a strange red mark on his neck. He had the look of concern and confusion written on his face, and vice versa. Yugi also looked confused and concerned. More about why he had that mark on his neck, rather than why he was gone for so long.

"Ryou?" Yugi asked, staring at his neck.

Ryou followed Yugi's gaze, and blushed a blood red when he realized that Yugi was looking at the hickey on his neck.

"Uhmm... t-t-this is just uhh..." Ryou stuttered, trying to cover the fresh marking.

A devious smile spread across Yugi's lips. Now he knew why he was in such a cheerful mood.

"Ryou... did you get that from Marik?" Yugi teased.

Blushing an even deeper red, Ryou shyly nodded his head, looking away from his friend who enjoyed toying with him.

"EH, MARIK. GET OUT HERE!" Yugi screamed.

Seconds later, Marik proudly emerged from the door in which he had been secretly having his way with Ryou. His shirt was very wrinkled, probably from Ryou holding on to it for dear life, his belt was unbuckled and he was flashing a victorious smile.

Yugi tried his hardest not to burst into a fit of laughter when he first glanced at Marik. But he couldn't contain himself when Ryou looked like he was about to have a mental breakdown.

"What're you laughing at Yugi?" Marik nonchalantly pondered, sending a wink in Yugi's direction.

"Why would you ask him that? Of course you know what he's laughing at!" Ryou angrily spat, narrowing his eyes towards what he calls his boyfriend.

"Awwwh Ryou-kun, you're so cute when you try to act tough," Marik playfully purred, grasping Ryou in a death hug and twirling several pieces of his long silvery hair.

While Yugi was still giggling, Ryou still being embarrassed and Marik still being... well, Marik, a soft sound of a bell being rung redirected their attention to the front door.

A scruffy looking man with a movie in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other was in their presence now. Who drinks this early in the day?

Marik contemplated whether or not to let go of Ryou when he caught sight of the man, because his aura was off. He didn't seem like a pleasant person to be around. So he simply hugged Ryou tighter, but in a more comfortable and protective way and his face was expressionless.

Yugi stop laughing and locked eyes with the man, while Ryou whispered to his Marik to let go of him, since he had to deal with the now impatient looking customer.

"How do you know he's a customer?" Marik suspiciously whispered.

"Because he's holding a movie in his hand, Marik. He probably came here to return it," Ryou whispered back.

"I'm not sure..." Marik was really uneasy at the moment. The longer he looked at the man, the more dangerous he seemed.

"Marik, please let me go. I'll be fine. If anything were to happen I know you'd do something," Ryou told him.

Marik looked into his lovers eyes, which were full of truth and caution.

Nodding his head, Marik slowly loosened his grasp around Ryou's waist and eventually he was free.

Yugi was still staring at the man when Ryou approached him. And the man just stared right back. Yugi's stomach was in knots, his chest heavy. He didn't like being in the same room as this mysterious man, since his facial expression appeared murderous and determined.

Ryou led the man towards the counter, hoping to possess the movie the man hand, unscathed.

Before he reached the counter though, the man tripped over his feet. Yugi has good reflexes so he caught him by his shoulders before he fell face first into the tile flooring.

The man groaned at Yugi's quick movements, and managed to let out a small burp.

The stench of the alcohol filled Yugi's nostrils and mouth, causing him to gag. He hastily steadied the man so he was up on his feet again and turned the man's body so that he was facing the counter.

Yugi, Ryou and Marik all felt anxious at the man's surprise visit. His appearance was even more alarming, because he wore a white shirt covered in stains, a leather jacket, and the fact that he had the nerve to bring a bottle of alcohol into the store, which is strictly forbidden.

Ryou knew this, but didn't want to anger the man by telling him he couldn't have it in the store, so he simply took the movie the man held infront of him and ensued the usual procedure for returned movies; scanning the barcode at the bottom of the case into the store's database, as evidence that it had been returned to the store, and placing it in the 'Put Away' bin, waiting to be put in it's proper place.

After Ryou had scanned it, he asked if the man's name was 'Stroadburn,' from what Marik and Yugi had heard.

The man nodded, indicating that Stroadburn was in fact his name.

Ryou then placed the movie in the Put Away bin, and told Stroadburn he was free to go.

Stroadburn let out a grunt, took a quick sip from his whiskey bottle and left the store without looking at neither Marik nor Yugi.

The three of them let out a sigh of relief, thankful that he didn't have to breathe the same air as them.

"Well what the fuck was that about?" Marik scoffed.

"What d'you mean 'what the fuck was that about'? He was obviously drunk and didn't want to spend another minute in here with us," Ryou answered.

"Yeah well..." Marik angrily retorted.

"Did either of you feel, I dunno, on edge when he came in here?" Yugi questioned his friends.

"Definitely," they said simultaneously.

"The moment when I felt the most nervous was when I prevented him from face planting into the floor," Yugi shakenly confessed.

"You should've let him fall for all I care," Marik remarked.

"That would've just pissed him off even more than he already was, Marik," Ryou stated.

"Glad we won't be seeing him again any time soon," Yugi gladly revealed.

"I swear if I ever saw that Strudbum or whatever near my house, I'd grab a cleaver and chase him down the street," Marik boasted.

"If you ever attempted that he'd pin you down in a heartbeat and use it against you," Ryou mused.

"Thanks for having confidence in me, Ryou-kun," Marik sarcastically avowed.

"Well it's true! He's twice your size and would have no trouble flattening you!" Ryou argued.

"The only thing that's going to be flattened Ryou-kun, is you," Marik warned, with a lustful look in his eyes.

"Hey!" Yugi interuppted. "Can I rent my movie now?"

Ryou was about to scan the movie for him, when Marik jumped over the counter and landed perfectly on Ryou's chest.

They fell to the ground with a loud thud, and Yugi could hear the whimpers escaping from Ryou's mouth.

"Must you two always act like prepubescent children?" Yugi asked, more to himself than to his friends who were both fighting for control over their significant other.

Ryou told Yugi he could take the movie and bring it back whenever he wanted.

Yugi didn't argue, since he loved getting free stuff and headed for the front door.

Ryou's whimpers soon turned into pleas, and Yugi swore he could hear Marik begin to jerk Ryou off. No way was he going to stay for that.

"Ok, well, I'll just leave you two to another one of your so called 'fights' and be on my way," Yugi apprised.

Just as Yugi placed his hand on the door handle, he heard Marik say in his lustful voice, "You don't have to go Yugi. Why don't you stay a while? I'm always up for a threesome."

Yugi could sense the eagerness in his voice, so he quickly let out, "No it's ok I'm good," before finally taking his first step outside.

He wondered whether or not they'd be caught on the store's tape, since one of the the surveillance cameras was positioned in their area. If they did, Ryou would be in a load of shit, and probably get fired. Neither Yugi nor Ryou wanted that to happen, and Marik couldn't care less. He'd still be with Ryou, whether or not he had a job.

'_At least they'll be enjoying their night,_' Yugi thought. '_Hopefully I will too_.'

It was nearing 4:30pm, and Yugi really had to hurry home so his jii-chan wouldn't get worried.

Yugi sighed to himself, remembering that jii-chan was going to leave on Sunday morning. If only he was going to leave sooner.

"I just want it to be Sunday already. I want the freedom I've been waiting for."

And with that last comment, Yugi quickened his pace and made it home before 5pm.

* * *

that was quite the confrontation with Stroadburn eh? you'll be seeing more of him in future chapters ;)

alrightyyyyy. that was chapter three. hoepfully i won't take as long to write chapter four since my mum usually goes out on fridays and i'm going to a friend's house tomorrow so... i'll see you when i post the next chapter of I Can Be Your Hero!

let me know what you thought of 'Longing for Freedom'!

p.s. i literally stayed up until 12am to finish writing this, because id didn't wanna put it off another day. that shows just how much i dedicate myself to my readers ;) goodbye for now


	4. Losing Control

ok, i swear to you guys i did not mean to wait this long to post this chapter. my laptop was being a little shit and shut down on me and i couldn't use it for three days. fortunately it turned back on and i continued writing and boy, did it take me a hell of alot of time to write.

this is not a very happy chapter btw. it's a bit depressing. but you're finally introduced somewhat to Yami! although he wasn't actually there... you'll know what i mean when you read it.

**i do NOT own Yugioh**

enjoy this chapter as best as you can!

* * *

_Intro: Yugi has finally returned home and is feeling the worst he's ever been in years. After witnessing what Marik and Ryou engaged in at the movie shop, he has had enough. He didn't want to be alone anymore but didn't want to come off as desperate. So to maintain his emotional pain, he did the only thing he promised himself he wouldn't do anymore. He began to cut himself. By cutting himself, he wouldn't think about why he was unhappy. The only thing he had to think about was the throbbing pain in his arm than the emotional pain of being alone. Little did he know that his hero was right around the corner, ready to take all the pain away..._

* * *

Yugi made it home just in time, with five minutes to spare. He rested his hand on the doorframe to keep him from falling because his legs felt like jelly from running those last three blocks. He managed to give himself a bruise along his right hip and almost destroyed the movie he got from Ryou when he tripped over the sidewalk from running so fast. Upon falling to the hard cement, the movie flew from his hands onto the road where cars were constantly passing by. The movie was on the shoulder of the road and just barely got run over by a red genesis coupe. Yugi's heart skipped a beat and realized that if he didn't get up at that moment the movie would be ruined and he'd be in alot of trouble.

Yugi sprang to his feet, but once he did he was in the vicinity of falling to the ground again. He hit his hip hard on the curb and had a really hard time maintaining his balance. But he wasn't able to let one small injury stop him from possessing the movie again. He steadily lifted himself off of the ground and slowly began to limp towards the busy road. With each step he took, excruciating pain would shoot up his leg to his hip and limit the amount of strength Yugi had. Trying to extinguish some of the agony, he placed his hand on his hip and continued on. The stinging went down a bit, but it still hurt. Just like his heart, the pain of his injury was bringing him down. Literally. Yugi fell to the ground for a third time when he reached the shoulder of the road. Luckily, no cars were coming so he scooped up the dirty movie case, stuck it in his bag and crawled back to the sidewalk.

He sat on the cold concrete and rested a bit. It even hurt to sit down.

'_Fucking ground_,' Yugi angrily thought, blaming the hard surface for his downfall.

Looking around, Yugi saw a few people staring at him. Embarrassed from his actions, he tried his best not to wince at the pain he received upon standing. Regaining his balance and strength, Yugi carried on his way home.

'_If I don't get home soon jii-chan will have a fit_.'

Checking his watch for the time, Yugi widened his eyes at how late it was. It was already 4:45pm and Yugi really had to get home.

Apprehending that he had to get home as quickly as he could, Yugi attempted to run.

It was painful at first, but once he ran faster his hip didn't hurt as much. Relieved, he kept running and running until he finally reached the game shop.

He walked through the front door and leaned against the doorframe.

The pain from his bruised hip mixed with the numbness in his legs completely exhausted Yugi. He slid down the wall and sat on the ground with a thud, and he quickly regretted that decision.

Once Yugi's hip and the floor made contact, a bolt of sharp pain shot through his body, directly to his hip.

Yugi didn't hold in his discomfort any longer and let out a cry of intense pain.

The sound of his displeasure echoed through the house and came back to him.

As he continued to groan at his throbbing hip, he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He looked up and saw his jii-chan, with an apron around his waist and kitchen mitts on his hands.

Solomon looked Yugi up and down. His uniform was wrinkled and dirty, he was clutching his hip and the look of distress was expressed across his face.

"Yugi what happened?" Solomon solemnly asked, kneeling beside his battered grandson.

"I stopped at the movie store after school to watch a movie tonight," Yugi explained. "I would've gotten home earlier, but I was talking with Ryou and Marik cause apparently Ryou works there now. I didn't realize how much time had past so once I got outside I started to go faster to make it home so you wouldn't think something happened to me. I tripped on the sidewalk and my hip landed on the curb. The movie flew out of my hand and onto the road so I grabbed it before it got run over and sat down to catch my breath. I wasn't able to walk at first, or even stand up for that matter. But I managed to get to my feet and continued to walk home. I broke out into a run and the pain wasn't as extreme. I slowed down when I walked through the door and sat down where I am now. My hip's starting to hurt again," Yugi added, while stroking his injured hip.

"Oh Yugi," Solomon uttered. "Come on, let's get you upstairs and I'll take a look at your hip."

Yugi nodded his head and his jii-chan took hold of his arm to help him off the ground and to the stairs.

Yugi winced every time he stepped with his right foot. The pain was really starting to get to him so he let out an annoyed groan.

"Are you ok Yugi?" Solomon asked.

"Yeah I'm ok, it just really hurts," Yugi truthfully replied.

Yugi and Solomon slowly made their way up the stairs, Solomon being extra cautious not to let his grandson miss a step and cause more pain to his already damaged body.

They finally reached the top of the stairs and continued their way to the living room sofa.

Solomon had Yugi sit down while he went to the freezer and placed a few ice cubes into a plastic bag. He returned to the living room and settled the ice on the table and sat down with Yugi.

"How much does it hurt?" Solomon questioned, examining Yugi's hand pressed against his hip.

"Alot actually," Yugi responded, flinching every time he breathed.

"Let me have a look at it," Solomon suggested.

Yugi nodded his head in agreement and removed his hand from his hip.

Solomon moved Yugi's uniform jacket out of the way and lifted the side of his shirt in order to have a look at his injured grandson.

He didn't quite see any type of bruising, so he asked Yugi to lower his pants.

Yugi was nervous at first, but he did as he was told. He unbuttoned and unzipped his pants to loosen the waist and lowered the right side of his pants and boxers for his jii-chan to examine.

Solomon had another look at Yugi's hip and quietly gasped at what he saw, trying not to alarm Yugi.

'_No wonder Yugi's in so much pain,_' Solomon thought.

A black and purple bruise the size of Solomon's palm spread across the whole of Yugi's hip. He traced the outline of the bruise with his finger, and as he did Yugi whimpered.

He quickly removed his finger and looked up at Yugi with concerned eyes.

Yugi stared back at him with the look of uneasiness, then looked down the side of his body.

Yugi's eyes widened and he too, traced along the very large bruise.

He flinched at the gentle touch and slowly took his hand away.

"Do you want the ice Yugi?" Solomon asked, nodding his head in the direction of the living room table.

"Yeah," Yugi said in a painful voice.

Solomon reached over to the table, grabbed the bag of ice and held it infront of Yugi.

"Do you want me to do it?" Solomon requested.

"Uhmm... sure, I guess," was Yugi's answer.

Solomon didn't waste any time and gently placed the ice on the bruise.

Yugi breathed in deeply at the sudden contact of freezing cold ice to a relatively warm body.

Solomon sensed Yugi's discomfort and removed the bag of ice from his hip.

Yugi carefully pulled his boxers and pants back to their original position and slowly stood up.

"I'm going to change into more comfortable clothes jii-chan," Yugi insisted.

"Do you need any help getting up the stairs?" Solomon entreated.

"No, I'll be alright. But if I need anything I'll let you know," Yugi tiredly went on, yawning in the process.

He gradually began to make his way toward the stairway that led to his bedroom.

Each step he took was worse than the last, but he pulled through and made it to his room.

He tore his uniform jacket off his back and aggressively slammed it to the floor, and did the same with his undershirt. He gently pulled down his jeans and let them fall by themselves to the floor, doing the same with his boxers. He stepped out of the leg holes of both pieces of clothing until he was completely naked. This gave him the opportunity to look at his bruise at a better angle.

Yugi walked over to his dresser, turned to his side and looked in the mirror. The bruise looked much bigger than when he first caught sight of it.

"Well, this is just great," Yugi sarcastically said to himself.

He let out a very annoyed sigh and began to search his drawers for baggy clothes.

He threw on a pair of black sweatpants and a t-shirt, not caring about going commando. He placed the waistline below the bruise so it wouldn't put pressure on it and sat on his bed.

"How the hell am I supposed to sleep tonight? I always sleep on my right side," Yugi fretted.

"Are you alright Yugi?" Solomon called from downstairs.

"Yes," Yugi shouted back. "I'm just gonna go to bed."

Remembering that he rented a movie, Yugi yelled at his jii-chan to get his movie from his bag.

Solomon took the dirty movie from Yugi's bag and went to his room.

"I believe you wanted this," Solomon said as he entered Yugi's room, holding up the movie case.

"Thanks jii-chan," Yugi smiled.

"Would you like me to put it in as well?" Solomon requested.

"If you don't mind," Yugi answered.

As Solomon placed the cd in the dvd player, Yugi shifted his body so he was sitting upright. Solomon threw the remote on Yugi's bed and bade him goodnight.

"Goodnight, jii-chan. And thanks for your help," Yugi concluded.

Solomon nodded his head and gave his grandson a smile, before closing the door behind him, leaving Yugi to his movie.

* * *

About an hour passed when Yugi was beginning to feel drowsy. His eyes were fighting to stay awake and his body twitched whenever it's muscles began to slack and go into a restful state.

'_Why does my body always twitch like that?_' Yugi wondered to himself.

'_Oh great, now I won't stop thinking about it. Better look it up now or it'll bug me for the rest of the night_.'

Yugi sat up on his bed and winced at the pain growing in his hip. He held his side and leisurely made his way over to his desk where his laptop was resting. He opened the lid, logged onto his account, opened the itnernet and typed: '_why do our bodies twitch when we fall sleep_.' Still standing up, he clicked on the first link that came up. It read, '_Our brain senses these relaxation signals and misinterprets them, thinking you are falling down. The brain then sends signals to the muscles in your arms and legs in an attempt to jerk you back upright_.'

'_Oh, so that's why,_' Yugi thought, closing the lid, strolling back to bed.

Yugi shifted more than he should when getting into bed. The bruise on his hip made it difficult to find a comfortable position.

Yugi let out a growl and whine at the same time in frustration. This was just not his night.

"I swear, if I don't enjoy the rest of my night I'm gonna lose it," Yugi angrily said to no one.

Making one final attempt to fix himself, Yugi sat upright and placed his pillows against his headboard and laid back. It was better than he was before, but his hip was still in a little bit of pain. Yugi ignored this and endeavoured to keep himself in check. As he did so, he continued to watch his movie.

It was at the part when Jenko and Schmidt were car hopping on the highway, trying to get away from the motorcycle gang that's after them.

Yugi smiled to himself. Not just because the movie was amusing but also because of Channing Tatum.

"God he is so hot," Yugi murmured.

Yugi thinks that the non-Asian actors are the best looking, and the other way around with Asian musicians. Specifically Koreans, like the members of Exo K, Exo M, SHINee, BTOB, Block B, B.A.P., Kim Jaejoong, Infinite, Teen Top and others. He loves them best when they sing their songs in Japanese so he can understand what they're actually saying, instead of mimicking the Korean lyrics.

Yugi reached over to the left side of his bed, grabbed the movie case, turned it around and looked at the bottom to check how long the movie is.

"Hundred n ten minutes. So that's... an hour fifty," Yugi prattled. "About twenny minutes left."

There was ten minutes left until the movie was over. A few minutes back, Channing was shot in the shoulder and Yugi was on the verge of tears. He knew he was going to live obviously, but he wasn't very happy with the unpleasent action. He doesn't like it when beautiful people get injured. Channing was now sitting ontop of a cop car, in a white tank top with his shoulder wrapped in medical bandages. His arms were obviously toned and his abs could be seen through his shirt. Yugi's legs and arms were covered in goosebumps and his stomach was in knots. His forehead began to sweat and his fingers were having a spasm.

'_Don't do it don't do it don't do it,_' Yugi pleaded to himself. '_If I make a mess I'll have to get up and clean myself and change my sheets._'

Yugi managed to keep himself from sliding his hands down into his sweatpants for the rest of the movie. When the movie had finished, Yugi turned off the tv and dvd player using both remotes, and initiated his routine when going to bed. Change of clothes if need be, brush his teeth, have a shower if he needed one and go to sleep. This time though, it'd be a little more difficult, since his hip was still sore and walking was now a bit of a problem.

Nevertheless, Yugi shoved the sheets off his body and let his feet dangle from his bed before standing up. Yugi proceeded forward with caution, since his lights were off and he could barely see anything. The moonlight shining in his room through his skylight gave him some illumination of his messy room, but it was still hard to see.

All was going well until Yugi stubbed his pinky toe on the corner of his bedroom door.

"Fffffffffff_fffffffffff_aaaaaaaaaaa," Yugi irritably spat, trying his best not to wake his jii-chan with his crys of pain.

Controlling his heavy breathing, Yugi continued his way to the bathroom to get cleaned up with a limp in his step.

Yugi stumbled through the doorway and grasped onto the sink. His balance was unsteady, the reason being one of his legs fell asleep. Yugi did not want to wake up his sleeping leg though, because the sensation that comes afterward is displeasing.

He opened the cabinet above the sink, took out his toothbrush and toothpaste, squirted some minty liquid onto the bristles and began brushing his teeth.

After two minutes had passed, Yugi swished the mixed fluids in his mouth before spitting the substance into the sink. He placed his belongings back in their proper place and let out a tired sigh. He looked over at the shower and contemplated whether or not he wanted to take one.

"I think I should," Yugi decided.

He tore off his sweaty shirt, subtly took off his sweatpants and opened the shower door, stepping inside. He turned the shower knob halfway between cold and hot, and as he did so, water came shooting out from the nozzle. He increased the temperature to make the water hotter in order to warm himself.

After standing in one spot for five minutes of so, he squeezed some strawberry scented shampoo into his big bushy hair and began scrubbing. It spread over Yugi's head quickly, reaches the tips of his hair in a matter of seconds. He continued washing his tri-coloured locks and advanced to washing the pink liquid out of his hair.

Once his hair was rid of the sweet smelling substance, he grabbed his loofa hanging on the shower wall and poured some more strawberry scented body wash on it. He washed his chest in circles, up and down his arms, shoulders, back, legs, feet and front. He rinsed his loofa, placed it back on the wall and stepped into the water again. The smell of strawberries always overwhelmed Yugi and kept him from paying attention to his surroundings.

Albeit Yugi was standing in the hot water in a daze, he never forgot that he needed, and wanted, to go to bed. For this reason, Yugi snapped out of his transfixion and turned off the hot water and stepped out of the shower. He realized he forgot to lay out a towel for the floor and for himself so he hastily grabbed a towel from the bathroom closet, threw it on the floor and did the same with himself.

Yugi shifted slowly over to the bathroom mirror and wiped the steam from its surface. His eyes were tired and his hair lay flat on his head, his blonde bangs sticking to his cheeks. He removed the towel from his waist to have another glance at his hip before he went to bed.

It looked a bit better than before. The black-purple colour of the bruise was now somewhat purple-green.

'_Finally it's healing,_' Yugi thought to himself, relieved. But looks can be deceiving.

He decided to poke it, to see how badly it hurt.

It hurt pretty bad alright. Yugi groaned in pain and told himself to not do that again.

He picked his towel up from the moisturized tile floor and began to dry himself. Once he was done with his body he moved onto his hair. He was yearning to get some sleep so he hurriedly shook his hair with the towel and disposed of it in the hamper, positioned beside the bathroom door.

He scuffled his way from the bathroom to his bedroom and turned on the light. His room was a complete mess. His dirty clothes were dispersed across his floor, his bed was untidy, even his closet was cluttered with falling junk and debris.

"Boy do I need to clean this up," Yugi said to himself as a reminder.

He made it to his dresser without any trouble since he could actually see. He opened the first drawer, picked out a pair of black boxers, put them on and graciously went to his bed. He was just getting comfortable when he realized he left the light on.

Yugi whined and got out of bed, slapped the switch off and went back to his comfy mattress.

He tried to sleep on his right side but the bruise prevented him from doing so because the waistline of his boxers put pressure on his hip. So he inevitably turned to his left side and did his best to fall asleep.

It took quite a while, with all the thoughts that would run through his mind and the annoying pain he experienced in his coxa. Eventually, Yugi found himself in a quiet environment, and found a way to fall asleep, even with all the difficulties he had.

* * *

Yugi's dream was a strange one.

He was standing in a small, dark condensed space with only a single spotlight illuminating his surroundings. He looked all around him, but nothing was there. He felt like he was at the bottom an abyss filled with darkness and loneliness. There was a light breeze that chilled over Yugi's body, and it was awfully quiet. Unsure of what was occurring, Yugi tried to run away, but his legs stayed put, disabling him from moving in any direction, unable to escape. Even though he couldn't move a muscle, his voice box was still functioning.

"Hello?" Yugi quietly whispered. No reply. "Hello?" Yugi said a little louder. Still no response. He wasn't to call out again because he knew nothing was going to happen. He sighed deeply to himself and looked down at his body.

There was no shirt upon his back or shoes supporting his feet. He wasn't even wearing socks. Instead, he was wearing the boxers he had gone to bed with of all things.

His eyes grew larger with confusion and astonishment. His body was trembling from the cool atmosphere all around him and goosebumps vigorously formed on his arms and legs. He looked up, and to his amazement, he saw a figure standing opposite him.

The figure looked like Yugi in many ways. He was skinny, but taller. His hair was styled the exact same way, but blonde pieces of his hair mixed in with his huge mane. His eyes were big as well, although they were more narrowed and they were the colour of red like a sunset. He looked a little older as well, still in his teens. About seventeen or eighteen Yugi had guessed. He was also wearing Yugi's school uniform.

Yugi wondered if this was he was looking into a mirror, that showed his future self. But the eyes of the other figure crossed out that possibility. His eyes aren't capable of changing colour unless he wore contacts.

The man on the other side simply stood there with his arms crossed over his chest and stared at Yugi. His face wasn't grave or furious or even sad. He wore a soft expression and his eyes looked tired. He wasn't smiling either, but he looked so angelic to Yugi.

"H-hello?" Yugi stuttered, blushing a tiny bit because of the fact that he was half naked.

The man didn't say anything. He just continued to stare at the little boy infront of him.

"W-w-who a-are y-y-ou?" Yugi fumbled. He was as cold as ever and he didn't know what else to ask. He wanted to know who this person was but he was so unresponsive.

The man did not move nor did he speak. He maintained his glare that was beginning to fade away. His eyes wondered along Yugi's body until they landed on his arms. The cuts Yugi brought upon himself were visible and he had no way of hiding them.

The man hung his head and blinked slowly, breathing in deeply. When he looked back up, he opened his eyes and a single tear rolled down his cheek.

Confused as he was, Yugi cocked his head to one side and was about to ask him what was wrong, but the man turned his back and began to walk away.

"Wait!" Yugi called, stretching out his hand. He found he was able to move his body again, since he was now running.

He kept running and running, but he didn't get anywhere. It was as if he was running on the spot.

The man was still in sight, and he carried on. He did not stop to converse with Yugi, nor did he stop at the shrill cries and screams emitting from the little boy. He ignored him completely and he prolonged his pace. He broke out into a run and ran faster until he had vanished.

Yugi came to a halt at the sudden disappearance. He placed his hands on his knees and took deep breaths.

He straightened his back as his heart regained it's normal pace.

'_Who was he?_' Yugi pondered.

At that moment, Yugi felt himself plummet through the floor beneath him.

His screams echoed through the space around him, although no one would be able to hear him. He continued to fall and shriek and before he hit the hard surface below him, he woke up with a start and let out a loud cry of pure pain.

* * *

Yugi was still screaming when he woke up, and he stopped when he realized he was lying on his bedroom floor and not falling to his death. The object that had broken Yugi's fall was a lamp that he knocked off his bedside table whilst he was falling off his bed.

One of the corners of the base of the lamp struck Yugi right in his injured hip, which caused him stinging pain.

Solomon had heard Yugi's shrieks and came dashing through his bedroom door. He rushed to his grandson's side and asked him if he was alright.

"I'm ok jii-chan. I just fell off my bed and landed on my oh so fluffy lamp," Yugi replied sarcastically, lifting himself off of the cause of his pain.

Yugi realized that his dream left him soaked in his own sweat and was glistening in the moonlight. He reached down and picked up the towel he had used to dry himself from his shower just a few hours before and began to wipe his body clean.

Solomon was more concerned with his grandson's well being than the sweat that gleamed all over his body.

After Yugi had finished drying himself, Solomon asked him if his hip was alright.

Yugi looked down the side of his body and pulled down the waistband of his boxers. The bruise looked the same and seemed to be healing, but a red scratch had appeared above it from the lamp. It wasn't bleeding, but it did sting an awful lot.

"I'm fine jii-chan. The lamp just gave me a new injury to deal with," Yugi said.

"Let me have a look at it," Solomon pleaded.

"No it's ok jii-chan really, I'm fine," Yugi assured Solomon.

"Yugi please, just let me-" Solomon tried to turn Yugi's body but Yugi resisted.

"Jii-chan no, I'm ok. Jii-chan please stop." Yugi was now struggling to keep Solomon from examining the newly formed scrape.

Both men were struggling for control over Yugi's body. Solomon had placed his hands on Yugi's shoulders in attempt to get him to face him. Yugi was beginning to get annoyed with his grandfather and pushed him backwards, but not so much that he would be knocked to the ground.

"YUGI," Solomon suddenly shouted in frustration. Yugi was taken aback at Solomon's hastiness and looked at him with wide eyes.

"Jii-chan?" Yugi softly said, placing a hand on Solomon's shoulder.

Solomon sighed deeply, looking down at Yugi's disorganized floor. He smiled slightly, but the look of sorrow could be seen in his tired eyes.

"Jii-chan?" Yugi repeated, hoping to get some input from his stressful looking grandfather.

Solomon simply sighed again, then looked up at Yugi tears on the verge of escaping his violet orbs.

"Yugi..." Solomon said in a gentle tone.

Yugi did not know what was bothering Solomon, but he wanted, and needed, to know.

"Jii-chan are you alright?" he asked.

"Yugi..." Solomon said again. He took hold of the hand on his shoulder and turned it so Yugi's forearm was facing upward.

Yugi looked down at his arm and then back up at Solomon. He still didn't understand why Solomon was acting this way.

"Jii-chan?" Yugi asked for a third time.

As Solomon looked up into his grandson's eyes, the tears began to flow. Yugi couldn't stand to see a loved one cry so he did his best not to cry as well.

"Jii-chan please tell me what's wrong." Yugi's voice cracked at the last words and he could feel the salty substance beginning to form in his own eyes.

Solomon sensed that Yugi was worried, so he softly said, "Yugi... If I don't see the scratch on your hip, I'll never know if you're truly ok. I never knew you were hurting on the side as much as you were on the outside when you were a kid. You always had a smile on your face and I didn't think twice about your well being. I didn't want to believe you were sad because you're a genuinely happy person. I'm sorry Yugi, I'm so sorry." Solomon had now let the tears fall as they pleased, and left Yugi to his confusion.

"Ohh jii-chan," Yugi cooed. He wrapped his arms tightly around his shaken grandfather and didn't let go. Solomon embraced his grandson's hug and tried not to bawl his eyes out.

Yugi stroked the back of Solomon's head in a gentle motion and spoke in a soothing tone in attempt to calm his jii-chan.

Solomon's breathing was beginning to steady and his tears had subsided. He let go of Yugi and took a step back. He put on the best smile he could manage, and gingerly said, "Yugi, may I please have a look at your hip?"

Yugi's face softened and he nodded his head. He turned his body so that the right side of him was facing Solomon. He reached down to the waistline of his boxers and slightly pulled them down.

Solomon approached Yugi, and examined the scrape.

It didn't look too bad. The redness had died down a little bit and it didn't look too painful. But Solomon did not touch it in case it pained Yugi.

"Does it hurt at all?" Solomon queried.

"Not too much, but it does sting a little," Yugi replied.

"Would you like some ice?" Solomon asked.

Honestly, Yugi didn't want any ice, but he did not want to upset his jii-chan any further.

"Sure jii-chan," Yugi answered.

Solomon nodded his head and went downstairs to place some ice cubes in a plastic bag.

'_I miss this,_' Yugi lamely thought to himself. '_I miss the pain. But I promised myself I wouldn't do it anymore... Then again, promises can easily be broken._'

Looking down at the floor, Yugi had flashbacks of all the times he had intentionally hurt himself. The first cut he made hurt like hell, but as time passed he got used to it and actually enjoyed it. He revelled in the afflictions and didn't want to stop. Although he did enjoy it, there was one rule Yugi gave himself: he would only hurt himself when it was necessary. And right now, Yugi really wanted to experience the pleasure of the blade digging into his skin, making his blood run. He yearned for the laceration and he wanted it now. Of course, Solomon was still in the house so Yugi would have to wait.

Yugi heard the scuffle of feet across the creaky stairs and snapped back into reality. His jii-chan was bringing him ice for his hip, and he had to tolerate himself and not worry his jii-chn any further.

Solomon walked through Yugi's bedroom door and handed the bag of ice to him. Yugi took it and slowly placed it on his injury.

A wave of goosebumps flowed over Yugi's body from the cold touch. His teeth began to chatter and his body was started to become cold as well.

He removed the bag from his hip and placed it on his bedside table. He regardfully pulled the waistline of his boxers back to their original position and walked over to his bed.

He sat down gently, not wanting to cause anymore pain to his body, even though he liked it.

He kicked his legs over his bed and pulled the covers over his trembling body. He looked over at his jii-chan, who was still standing in his room with a concerned look on his face.

"I'm alright jii-chan really. Thanks for the ice," Yugi said, nodding his head in the direction of the ice bag.

"You're welcome Yugi," Solomon graciously responded. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight jii-chan," Yugi yawned.

And with that, Solomon exited Yugi's room, and left him to his dreams.

* * *

It was eleven o'clock in the morning when Yugi tiredly opened his eyes. He didn't dream that night, and he was thankful that he didn't.

Surprisingly, he was still covered with his blankets. Usually they would be scattered across the floor or bunched up at the end of Yugi's bed. But today, they were wrapped around Yugi's tiny frame and kept him warm.

"Hmm, well that's new," Yugi said, looking at his body wrapped in a burrito of blankets. "And I'm not sweating either."

Relieved, Yugi pushed the covers off his body and let the cool air engulf his skin.

He lay flat on his back and his eyes closed. He breathed deep breaths and a smile crept across his lips. Everything was quiet. The sunlight shone through the sky light above Yugi's head and his room was illuminated with gold colours the sun had to offer. For the moment, Yugi felt happy. He didn't have a care in the world and his body felt lightless.

'_If only I could stay like this forever,_' Yugi blissfully thought.

As if on cue, the events from the night before flooded Yugi's mind. Falling onto the floor, obtaining a new injury, jii-chan crying and experiencing the pleasure of pain once again.

The smile on Yugi's face was obliterated and he furrowed his brows in frustration. He could never enjoy a few peaceful minutes to himself without thinking about something bad that has happened.

'_The only thing I'm capable of is making people sad,_' Yugi thought, opening his eyes. '_I don't even remember the last time I made someone smile._'

As bad as it sounds, it was true. Yugi trully couldn't remember a time where he brought happiness into other people's lives. He hadn't seen his jii-chan smile in days. A REAL smile that is. Not a smile of sympathy, but a smile of pure delight that danced across the surface of another's face. The kind that lit up the colour in one's eyes and the laughter that made your stomach ache. Yugi sure hadn't seen one of those in forever.

He lay in his bed for a few minutes, before eventually getting up and making his way toward the kitchen.

Yugi could walk a little easier now. The scratch from the lamp the night before didn't bother him at all, since landing on a lamp is better than slamming into hard concrete.

Yugi continued on and waltzed into the kitchen, where he found his jii-chan sipping away at some coffee and reading today's paper.

"Morning jii-chan," Yugi yawned.

"Good morning Yugi," Solomon greeted, not looking up from his paper. "What a lovely Saturday morning."

"Yes it is. Nice and sunny, a perfect day to spend indoors," Yugi laughed.

"You think so, eh?" Solomon simpered.

"Oh yeah definitely. My people love to stay in their nice houses and be drowned by the darkness," Yugi explained.

"Oh do they now?" Solomon drawled.

"Yupp," Yugi confirmed.

Yugi walked over to the freezer and pulled out some nice square waffles. He took out a plate from the cupboard and placed the waffles on top of it. He then went to the pantry and got the toaster. He planted the toaster on the counter and plugged it into the outlet on the wall. He dropped the two waffles in their slots, pushed down the levers and waited for them to cook.

He sat down at the table with his jii-chan, and laid his head down on his arms across the table.

"How's your hip treating you?" Solomon questioned.

"It's not too bad," Yugi started. "The scrape I got from last night doesn't really hurt at all and the bruise seems to be healing."

"That's good that's good," Solomon said. "Yugi, I'll be gone for a couple of hours today."

"Where are you going?" Yugi asked, raising his head.

"I'll be shopping for a few things," Solomon responded.

"Shopping for what?" Yugi questioned, curiosity hinted behind his voice.

"Shopping for more Duel Monsters cards," Solomon simply said.

"More? Jii-chan the house will be overflowing with Duel Monsters cards if you keep buying them. Well, not that I'm complaining, but still," Yugi analyzed.

"Yugi, it's my job to supply the shop with new cards," Solomon explained, matter of factly.

"Hmm, right. Could I come with you?" Yugi urged.

"I would love for you to come, but I'm afraid you still have a lot of chores to attend to," Solomon teased.

"But jii-chaaaaan," Yugi whined. He did not want to spend his Saturday cleaning his room, vacuuming the living room carpet and washing the dishes.

"No buts Yugi. You know what the rules are," Solomon concluded.

Yugi sighed sadly and rested his head on his arms again.

"If you get all your chores done Yugi, I'll let you have ten cards of your choice," Solomon offered.

This was music to Yugi's ears. Never once had Solomon willingly offered Yugi to pick out any cards he wanted.

"Thanks jii-chan!" Yugi smiled, hugging Solomon.

'_I haven't seen you smile like that in ages,_' Solomon solemnly thought.

Solomon was just beginning to enjoy this grandfather-grandson moment when Yugi's breakfast popped out of the toaster.

Yugi let go of Solomon and quickly picked up the two waffles and threw them on his plate.

"I'll be in my room jii-chan," Yugi informed.

And with that, Yugi picked up his plate and walked back up the stairs, heading for his bedroom.

* * *

Yugi diligently ate his naked waffles sitting crossed legged on his bed and left his plate on his bedside table when he finished devouring them.

He looked around his room and realized that it was messier than before.

'_I should really clean this,_' Yugi thought. 'Hmmm... _Nahh, too much effort. But I would like a shower though._'

Yugi loved taking showers and never passed up on an opportunity to drench his body in hot, steaming water. This often happens when Yugi's bored, like right now. He feels dirty most of the time as well, so it's no wonder he takes plenty of showers.

Yugi stripped out of his boxers and casually set foot into the bathroom across his room. Yugi hadn't noticed that he could walk somewhat normal now, since he wasn't limping anymore. But there was still a kink in his step.

He looked at himself in the mirror first, to examine his discoloured wound. It didn't look atrocious anymore. The purple-green blotch was now green-yellow.

"Thank god," Yugi gratefully uttered. He gently placed his finger on top of it and gave it as little jab. It didn't hurt that much at all. Sure there was a slight bit of convulsion, but other than that he felt nothing. "Yesssssss."

Yugi smiled to himself and turned around in direction of the shower cubicle. He opened the shower door and was about to step in when the texture of a smooth, cold, hard surface caught his attention.

"Towels," Yugi reminded himself.

Shaking his head in stupidity, Yugi shuffled across the bathroom floor to the cupboard filled with towels, extra loofas, soap, medical wrappings, old toothbrushes, hairbrushes, scissors, a hair dryer, shampoo and conditioner, cotton swabs and razors. Once Yugi set his eyes on the various types of razors, he remembered that he hid real razors and blades underneath the cluttered mess.

The smile planted on his face began to dissipate. His eyes filled with sorrow and his heart with hurt. He had forgotten all about his hidden weapons of perniciousness. He hadn't used them in years and he wasn't going to use them anymore. Or so he thought.

Yugi reached a hand in the basket of razors and hairbrushes until he felt the smooth, steel surface of one of the many broken down, blood stained blades.

Solomon had never known about their existence until he found them when he was moving the cotton swab bag out of the way to get to the razors. This occurred two years ago. Solomon hadn't thought much of it, since he supposed Yugi used them to shave whatever peach fuzz he had at the time. They were not stained with blood either, since Yugi washed them carefully and precisely to make sure not one drop of blood would be left behind.

But this time, all of Yugi's personal harm doers were chipped and defiled from all the times he had used them to slice his arms.

He retrieved the blade and fiddled with it in his hands. He stroked the flat exterior and brushed the sharp end of the object. A trickle of blood emitted from Yugi's sensitive thumb.

'_Still sharp,_' Yugi thought, still fumbling around with the small blade.

Yugi did want to use it, he just didn't want to use it for a stupid reason. He had to be hurting terribly on the inside in order to avail it.

Yugi enclosed his hand over the blade and closed his eyes. He was going to force himself to think of the things that hurt him the most to give himself permission to make use of the battered blade once again.

Flashbacks of his friends sitting close to each other, holding hands, kissing, laughing and bantering each other flowed into Yugi's mind. This visual gave him a reminder of how lonely and alone he truly was and how he despised it.

Another painful memory that entered Yugi's brain was all the times when he would get picked on for liking boys instead of girls, and no one was there to stop them.

The last dreadful thought that drafted into his consciousness was the time when he and his friends were at the airport saying goodbye to Yugi's first love, Daiki, all those years ago. This particular reminiscence broke Yugi, because tears began to well up in his eyes.

He could feel the lump in his throat begin to develop and his sobs emanating.

He placed his free hand on the side of the wall to support his body, but it would be no use of assistance.

Yugi fell to his knees, the blade still clutched in his hand. He was now shedding tears of emotional and physical pain.

A small stream of rich oxygenated blood poured from the palm of Yugi's right hand. He opened his eyes and moved his fingers back from his hand to look at the damage he had done.

The size of the cut ranged from the bottom of his pinky to the opposite side of his hand.

Yugi shakily moved his left hand to pick up the bloodied blade from his injured palm.

He stared at it for a moment, then, his eyes narrowed and his tears of sadness turned into tears of anger. He stood up, turned his body toward the shower and stepped inside. He could not care less about the towels anymore because his mind was somewhere else. Off far away to a familiar place of emptiness and dejection.

Yugi slammed the shower door shut and vigorously twisted the knob of the temperature system. The water pullulated from the nozzle and struck Yugi's face. The warm liquid reached his hands and washed away the flowing hemoglobin from his right hand, and from the blade in his left.

Yugi's tears were still rushing down the cheeks of his face. He hung his head and looked at both metacarpus'. One obtained a flesh open wound, and the other possessing a weapon of producing pang.

Yugi did not second guess his decision, and did not waste any more time.

He immediately grasped the blade in his left hand and brought it to the middle section of his right forearm. He hesitated for a second, the reason being that he hadn't done this in a very long time and did not know what to expect.

'_Pain of course,_' Yugi stated to himself in an obvious matter. '_But I want it. And I want it now.'_

Not delaying himself any further, Yugi dug the blade into his arm and slowly moved it downward. He wanted to feel the sharp stinging sensation the blade gave to his sensitive skin.

He closed his eyes tightly and bit his lip, trying to restrain himself from producing any sound of agony.

He removed the blade from his arm and opened his eyes.

It didn't look like much at all. All it was was a new scar waiting to be formed. Realizing this, Yugi repeated this action again and again on both of his arms. The water rinsed all the blood emitting from his thin arms down into the drain.

His arms felt numb by the time he consummated his objective. There was five new wounds inflicted on his right forearm, and seven on his left.

Yugi began to cleanse his arms and the blade from the blood that was brought upon them and slowly turned the water supply off. He opened the shower door and advanced outside. The bathroom door was ajar so air from the house came flowing through the small space and replaced the steam with a cool atmosphere.

Yugi lifted both of his arms to his eye level and probed them carefully.

The fresh wounds stung like hell and in some strange way, this did not bother Yugi. This is what he wanted, was it not? His intention was to distract himself from the emotional pain he has experienced with physical pain. and he had accomplished just that.

The cuts were not deep, so they did not produce a large amount of blood.

Yugi lowered his arms and turned his head towards the cupboard, which was left open.

He perambulated through the bathroom until he reached the depository. He searched through the shelves until he found the black towel he was looking for. The battered teen gently dabbed his injured arms with the towel and then wrapped it around his waist. He went on his tip toes to seize the roll of white medical bandages and unravelled it. He also grabbed a pair of scissors to cut the bandages. with. Yugi began to wrap his left arm with this soft material, cut it off with the scissors and tucked the end of it into the wrap around his arm. He did the same with his right arm, and placed the materials back into the cupboard in their proper place.

After all it was said and done, Yugi stood silently by himself, gazing at the tiled flooring. The only thing he could bring himself to say was:

"What did I just do?"

* * *

i warned you that this chapter was a little upsetting! well, at least you were introduced to Yami in some way.

well then, i hope you were fond of this chapter in whatever way possible. i'll try and put the next chapter up as soon as i can. so don't be surprised if i do it a little later, since it usually takes me a while to write and come up with ideas.

until next time!


	5. Painful Memories

ok then, here is chapter five of my first story. i apologize in advance if it does not satisfy some of you, but this is what i managed to come up with. so enjoy it as much as you can :)

**i do NOT own Yugioh**

* * *

_Intro: Yugi has done the very thing he regrets doing. He wasn't planning on breaking his promise to himself, but his encounter with Solomon and what he witnessed between Marik and Ryou triggered his yearn to vex. He was reminded of all the times he felt forlorn and unwanted. He couldn't control his emotions, so as a result he lashed out at himself. Now he is completely empty inside, unsure if he is adequate enough to contain the elations of hurting himself..._

* * *

"No no no no no no no no _no,_" Yugi iterated. "How could I let myself do that?"

Yugi did not want to have a repeat of his dire past, but at the same time he wanted to experience the collision of blade and skin once more.

Nevertheless, Yugi wasn't exactly all rainbows and joyous after what he just exhibited. He could feel himself going deeper and deeper into depression as each minute passed. But deep down, he liked it.

It was now night time, since the window transmitted the moonlight from the dark blue and black sky onto the tiled flooring. Had Yugi really spent that amount of time cutting himself?

Yugi was panicking, because Solomon was probably still downstairs in the kitchen and he didn't want to confront him about what he just did to himself. But he could have easily moved somewhere else in the house. He hadn't come into the bathroom once during the time which Yugi was occupying it. There is a chance though, that Solomon could have heard Yugi's whimpers. They weren't exactly faint, but they were not so loud as to wake up the whole neighbourhood. He wasn't being maliciously murdered, just maimed.

Still alarmed, Yugi shakily walked slowly towards the entrance of the bathroom. He poked his head out the door and looked down the hallway left and right. His bedroom was a mere ten feet away. Surely he could make it there without being noticed by Solomon. Taking a deep breath, he forced his legs to move him forward. They were stiff with nervousness, trembling every so often but he made it out of the bathroom.

Yugi was now standing in the middle of the hallway, unable to move. His body was still in shock and his nerves refused to help him navigate his way towards his room. He was only a few feet away and his body remained where it was.

"C'mon you bloody body, _move_," Yugi angrily said, looking down at his unresponsive body. '_Oh great now I'm starting to sound like Ryou._'

"Ok, breathe, just breathe. Deep breaths," Yugi told himself. He closed his eyes and took in slow, deep breaths just like he commanded himself.

This seemed to calm him down a bit, since he could feel the muscles in his arms and legs begin to relax. He opened his eyes and looked around him, listening to every sound that flowed into his ears. He could hear nothing, which was a good sign. He did not want his jii-chan to catch him with bandages wrapped around his forearms and have a conversation that he really didn't want to discuss.

Yugi felt his leg twitch and it moved itself forward. The same thing happened with the other one and soon enough Yugi found himself walking. He walked and walked until he was back safely inside his bedroom walls. He turned around, closed his door and made his way over to his bed. He sat down on the edge with his elbows placed upon his thighs, his palms pressed against his cheeks.

He sighed deeply and he lay on his back, looking up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes once more and let his thoughts roam free. Bits and pieces of his childhood filled the space inside his mind. Flashbacks of when times were good occasionally appeared, making Yugi crack a sly smile. He missed those moments, when he was being careless with his friends...

_"Mariiiik get off of me," Yugi whined at the little boy sitting on his chest._

_"But I don't wanna. Besides, you're pretty comfortable," the blonde replied, crossing his legs upon the little one's torso._

_"Yeah. Well. You're. Not," the purple eyed younger huffed out, having trouble speaking and breathing with the weight crushing his sternum._

_"C'mon Marik, get off him," came Joey's voice. His head was resting peacefully in Seto's lap and didn't look up when he spoke._

_"No, I like sitting on Yugi," Marik retorted._

_Just then, a pair of arms wrapped around Marik's waist and pulled him back. The Egyptian fell upon another body instead of the grassy ground._

_The arms were still snaked around Marik's tiny waist and tightened their grip, disenabling the ability of escaping._

_Marik tried removing the hands off of his body but they would not let go. He squirmed and fiddled around in his attacker's arms but it was no use. He was locked in a death grip._

_"You're not going anywhere," a smooth voice hissed from underneath Marik's small physique._

_"Ryou-kun, let me go!" Marik whimpered._

_"I don't think so," Ryou reciprocated. And with that Marik stopped his endeavour, letting Ryou win._

_"Alright Ryou you win. Now can you please let me go?" Marik kvetched._

_"Can I, or will I?" Ryou teased, a smile creeping upon his lips._

_"Ryou, _will_ you please let me go?" Marik annoyingly growled._

_"I dunno, _will _I?" Ryou snickered._

_"RYOU," Marik grouchily complained._

_"Fine fine," Ryou mussitated._

_Ryou shoved Marik off of him and he landed face-first into the grass._

_"Thanks," Marik mumbled, spitting out pieces of grass and dirt in the process._

_"Yeah thanks Ryou," Yugi added, forcing a smile back, not wanting to give Marik a reason to sit on him again._

_Marik sat up and rested his head on Ryou's shoulder. He then wrapped his right arm around his shoulder and closed his eyes. He took his other hand and intertwined it with Ryou's free hand. He began brushing his thumb up and down Ryou's metacarpals. _

_"You seem very relaxed," Ryou suspiciously said to Marik, eyeing him carefully._

_'He's up to som-.' Ryou's thought was cut short by the sudden grip on his shoulder and his hand. His body was flipped and before he knew it he was pinned to the ground at his wrists; he felt a large amount pressure in his stomach area and lifted his head._

_"What... do you think... you're doing... Marik?" Ryou huffed, breathing heavily at the newly added weight._

_"What does it look like?" Marik hissed, leaning forward which only added more pressure on Ryou's small body._

_"Well, it looks like... you're crushing me with your... oversized ass." Ryou was starting to have difficulty breathing; each breath was deeper and more painful that the last. "Marik I'm serious, you're going to flatten me."_

_"What do we say?" Marik questioned teasingly._

_"Can you please get off?" Ryou answered._

_"Can I, or _will _I?" Marik mimicked. He was beginning to enjoy this._

_"Marik would you just GET OFF," Ryou bellowed. He could barely breathe and his patience was thinning with each passing second._

_"Alright alright calm down, just don't have a hissy fit," Marik spat._

_Ryou rolled his eyes and Marik began lifting his lower half off of the British boy's tiny frame. _

_He stopped when he was positioned on all fours and leaned in close to give Ryou a peck on the lips. Both boys smiled and Marik rolled off of Ryou back onto the grassy surface._

_All the while this was happening, Joey and Seto were fooling around with each other, each one struggling for dominance._

_Yugi on the other hand sat cross-legged with his head hung, twiddling his fingers. His eyes were heavy and he felt so alone. He didn't have anyone to playfully fight with or give kisses to and have the favour returned. _

_He raised his head slightly and looked through his long, blonde bangs to observe what his friends were engaging in._

_Ryou and Marik were lying beside each other on the ground, hands intertwined, eyes closed and smiles on their faces._

_Joey and Seto were somewhat acting the same way. Seto was sitting up against a tree with Joey spread across his chest. One of Seto's hands were underneath Joey's shirt, moving in a circular motion which made Joey arch his back every now and then. They too, had their eyes closed and were holding hands._

_Yugi looked down again and continued swirling his fingers together. He was happy for his friends yes, but he wished he could say the same for himself._

Yugi opened his eyes and frowned. He was hoping to cheer himself up by remembering times where his friends were there for him; the times when they made him smile. But he just made himself even more upset. Weren't there any moments throughout his life where he didn't feel so alone around his friends?

Yugi was about to succumb to his unhappiness, when a certain memory of certain someone's that saved his life...

_It was a regular night in the Muto household. Yugi was happily sitting on the living room sofa, watching tv. His jii-chan was pacing around the kitchen, with several pieces of paper in his hands. He was so sucked in to those papers that he was oblivious to the sound of the phone ringing._

_"Jii-chaaaaan," Yugi called. No answer. "Jii-chaaaaaaan." Still no answer. Yugi sighed and got up from the couch to the phone mounted on the wall. He lifted the phone from the mantle and greeted the person on the other line._

_"Hello?" Yugi said._

_"Hey Yug, it's Joey," Joey answered._

_"Oh hey Joey, what's up?" Yugi asked._

_"Me and the guys wanted to know if you want to come over here for the night."_

_"And where exactly is 'there'?" Yugi questioned._

_"Well I'm callin you from Ryou's house so, I guess there," Joey responded._

_"Ok, one second," Yugi said, before removing the phone from his face and covering the mouth piece with his hand._

_"Hey jii-chan," Yugi called. Again, no sound came from his stressful looking grandpa._

_Yugi groaned and walked as close to the kitchen as the phone cord would allow. When he could go no further he reached out his hand and poked Solomon on the shoulder. Solomon jumped at the contact and turned around to face Yugi. When he made sure he was listening, Yugi asked Solomon if he could go over to Ryou's house._

_"Oh yes, sure Yugi. Would you like a ride?"_

_"It's ok. His house isn't that far away, I can walk," Yugi assured._

_Solomon pondered this for a moment. He wasn't very fond of the thought of Yugi walking by himself alone at night. But he was too caught up in the bills he had to pay that he reluctantly let Yugi go._

_"Thanks jii-chan," Yugi said, with a smile on his face. He removed his hand from the mouth piece and began speaking._

_"Joey? Hey Joey!" Yugi yelled, noticing that there was alot of noise comign from the other end._

_"Hmm, what? Oh that's great Yug. Uhhm, hey do you want a ride over here? Seto can drive you no problem," Joey suggested._

_"No it's alright Joey, I can walk. Ryou's isn't far from where I live. I'll be there in a few minutes."_

_And with that, Yugi hung up the phone on the receiver, bade goodbye to his jii-chan and walked out the door._

_It was a relatively calm evening. The sky was a dark blue, with long purple and pink swirls dancing around in the horizon. _

_"Hmm, the sun must've just set," Yugi whispered to himself._

_He continued walking along the sidewalk, hands in his pockets, quietly humming. The neighbourhood seemed to be deserted, since no one was around. There weren't cars passing by on the road, or the usual late night walkers that always take the street. It was completely quiet, and Yugi was starting to become agitated. He never liked it when he was surrounded by utter silence. _

_He looked around nervously, searching for signs of disturbance within the streets of Domino; the city wasn't a place filled with troublemakers and where terrible things happen. A few fires have occurred yes, but no gangbanging or malicious deaths have taken place. _

_Yugi lingered on, taking each step with caution. He walked and walked until he came into view of Ryou's house. Yugi sighed of relief and made his way towards the house with more confidence. _

_'I made it,' Yugi thankfully thought to himself._

_Yugi turned a corner and he could see the lights illuminating Ryou's front porch. He walked a few more steps when something grasped his arm and dragged him into an alleyway._

_He could see the lights fading away until he was engulfed in the darkness the narrow passage brought upon him. He could barely see anything and he could hear the rattling of deep voices conversing with each other. _

_The arm was still firmly tightened around Yugi's humerus. He tried to free himself from the figure's hold on him but it was no use. The character's grip was too tight and Yugi's strength was too little. The chattering diminished and everything was quiet. Yugi could feel eyes staring into his soul, ready to rip him apart even though he couldn't see them directly._

_Yugi was suddenly thrown to the ground and he landed on the damp, hard surface of the cement. He shuffled himself backwards until he hit the wall of the apartment building. He was trapped; there was no where to go, and he wouldn't get far if he decided to make an escape to Ryou's house. Furthermore, Yugi was so struck with fear he could hardly move. He body was tense; he contemplated about yelling for help, but he persuaded himself not to unless it provoked his attackers._

_Speaking of which, Yugi heard one of the men take a step closer to him. He knelt down (and Yugi knew this because he heard the bones crack in his knees and the smell of alcohol was level with his nose) and grabbed the collar of Yugi's shirt. He leaned in close, and as he did Yugi turned his face away. He could feel the warm breath drifting onto his neck and made an effort not to struggle with the amount of weight threatening to crush him._

_"You're not going anywhere angel face," the man lustly prattled._

_Yugi's eyes grew with fear at the compliment, and he was disgusted. Never had he wanted to hear such words filled with avidity and desire._

_Yugi couldn't bring himself to speak; the lump in his throat grew larger, the salty liquid forming in his eyes. He couldn't believe what was happening. Here he was, just a normal teenager casually walking to a friend's house in the middle of the night and he gets jumped. This was not part of the plan._

_All of a sudden, the man lifted Yugi off his feet and slammed him hard onto the apartment wall. Yugi's back took most of the blow, and he must've hit some sort of pipe because he could feel a round surface supporting his head. As soon as his head came into contact with the pipe Yugi saw tiny little stars clouding his vision. He hung his head as the dizziness that came afterwards made him feel sick to his stomach. _

_He felt a hand press against his forehead and it raised his face so that the man could look at him. Yugi's eyes were droopy and his mouth was open. Even though he couldn't see anything, he could tell what was going to happen next wasn't going to be pleasant. _

_The man didn't do nothing for a while; he didn't punch Yugi in the stomach, drop him to the ground or make any drunken comments. He just stared at Yugi, eyeing him up and down, waiting for the right moment to take charge._

_Just as if on cue, the man plunged his face into Yugi's and violated his mouth cavern. His tongue explored every inch of the inside of Yugi's mouth, and Yugi had to do his best not to throw up. The taste of this man was revolting and the stench of the alcohol entered Yugi's nasal cavity and traveled down his throat. _

_It seemed like an eternity when the man finally pulled away from Yugi's face. He smiled shrewdly and lowered him to the ground and turned away. _

_Yugi felt dreadful and couldn't hold in his sickness any longer. The aroma of the alocohol was so repugnant, that Yugi spewed almost immediately when he was placed back on the ground. He held a hand to his stomach and groaned loudly. Not only did he feel debilitated, he felt violated beyond reasoning. No one has ever done something like this to him and he certainly wasn't comfortable with the situation._

_Just when he thought it was over, a different man approached him. This man was in a similar state to the first, being drunk and filled with lust. But this man had a disparate idea of satisfying his libido._

_In one swift movement, the man used one hand to pick Yugi up by his shirt and the other to remove Yugi's pants and boxers. He used the same hand to turn Yugi around so his face was pressed up against the wall. He unzipped his own pants and sure enough Yugi felt a painful penetration._

_Yugi screamed out in pain, but that only made the man thrust harder and faster. _

_Yugi tried pushing himself off the wall, but the man was too strong even though he was only using one hand. _

_"Stop, please!" Yugi begged, warm tears streaming down his face._

_"Stop? I've only just begun," the man replied pleasurably._

_The man continued to rape Yugi, as the other men in the alleyway laughed and cheered at what they thought was a zestful sight; when in reality, it was nothing more than a lustful, drunken man taking advantage of a weak young boy._

_"Please... stop," Yugi choked. The pain was excruciating and he didn't want to endure it any longer._

_"Joey! Ryou! Marik! Seto! Someone! HELP ME!"_

_It was no use; there was no one around and the men simply laughed at Yugi's pleas._

_As if his prayers were answered, the man withdrew from Yugi and let him fall to the ground once more. He landed on the cement with a thud and he lay there completely motionless. He longed for someone to come save him and he didn't want to involuntarily participate in these men's disgusting games._

_Out of all the laughter, Yugi could hear another sound; another voice to be specific. He listened intently to hear it again and he did so. The voice came closer and it sounded so familiar to him. He noticed that it was calling out something; a name maybe? Yugi couldn't decipher it but he didn't care; this voice would be the one that could possibly save his life._

_As he continued listening, he heard another set of voices joining the original. He looked up, and there was a small group of people standing at the end of the alleyway. Yugi squinted his eyes to get a better look; he couldn't make out any details, but he saw a tall man with a blondish looking blob on his head, and another with a brown blob on his head. He couldn't quite see the other two, but he didn't need to think about it. Yugi knew who these people were, and they were searching for him._

_"Yugi? Yugi!"_

_Like music to his ears, Yugi immediately recognized that voice; and that voice belonged to none other than Joseph Wheeler._

_"JOEY!" Yugi screamed._

_"Yugi?!" Joey yelled back, confused._

_"Joey, I'm here! I'm-" Yugi's sentence was cut short by the sudden pain in his stomach area. One of the men had kicked him._

_Yugi groaned painfully, preventing himself to not throw up again._

_"Oi, shut it you," one of the men sternly warned._

_Yugi just groaned again, completely oblivious to the fact that there was a new group of people headed in his direction._

_"Yugi!" Marik called._

_"Marik, I'm-" Yugi began to have a coughing fit, unable to finish his sentence._

_Yugi could see through the slit of his eyes that Joey, Seto, Ryou and Marik had arrived and looked pretty eager on avenging him._

_All Yugi could hear before he blacked out was the sound of arguing, metal, cries of pain and anger._

_When Yugi woke up, he looked upon his surroundings and noticed that he was placed neatly and comfortably into a bed. There was a bright light that illuminated the room he was in and he hoped that he wasn't in a hospital. He didn't want to deal with his jii-chan being an emotional wreck, as mean as it sounds. _

_He focused his vision more clearly, and to his surprise he wasn't in a hospital at all. Instead, he was situated in what he distinguished to be as Ryou's bedroom. He looked around, examining the room and realized that he was alone. Ryou, Joey, Seto and Marik were nowhere to be found._

_Yugi frowned at this realization and shifted in the bed he was settled in. He brought his arms out from under the covers and noticed that they were wrapped in bandages. His moved his hands to his face and felt a soft material around his forehead. It must have been wrapped as well._

_'How bad was I hurt?' Yugi thought._

_It couldn't have been that bad. He remembered that his head was slammed onto a metal pipe implanted on the apartment wall but that was it. _

_Yugi shoved the covers away from his body and looked down. He was only in his boxers, which were ripped and stained with what looked like blood._

_He sat up slowly, and as he did he winced at the sudden pain that emerged from his body. Every inch of him was sore and he couldn't figure out why. The only things his body endured was being slammed into a wall, dropped to the ground and kicked in the stomach. What could possibly be causing all this pain?_

_Just then, a head peaked in from the bedroom door._

_"Yug?" the voice called._

_"Joey?" Yugi asked._

_Joey opened the door and revealed himself to Yugi, along with Seto, Ryou and Marik who all looked pretty beaten up._

_"What happened to you guys?" Yugi worriedly inquired, examining them up and down._

_"We saved your life, that's what happened," Marik answered honestly. "And we got the marks to prove it."_

_"How?" was all Yugi could say. _

_He was very discombobulated with the current situation; he didn't know what happened after he blacked out, and he wanted to know._

_"Well, we were wondering why you weren't at my house yet," Ryou explained, stepping forward. "So we went outside and decided to look for you."_

_"That's when we heard your voice from the alley," Seto continued. _

_"At first I didn't know if it was you or not Yug, so I called out your name again and thankfully you called my name back to me."_

_"We all had the impression that you were in trouble since you sounded like you were in pain," Marik added. "So we darted down the alley and found you lying on the ground, surrounded by those disgusting prats."_

_Yugi took a minute to soak all of this in. He did remember hearing and seeing his friends at the entrance to the alleyway; and he did remember them running towards him. But once they arrived his mind went blank._

_"What happened when you found me?" Yugi queried._

_"We noticed that you were pretty beaten up and you were half naked," Seto began. "We all knew what they did to you so we began to beat the living hell out of those pricks until they were unconscious."_

_"We all received a few minor wounds, but we'll live," Marik concluded._

_Yugi processed their words into his mind and recollected his thoughts. He did hear the sound of fleshing pounding against flesh, but that was it. He never imagined that his friends would risk their necks for him like that._

_"Wh... H... Why... Why would you do that?" Yugi stammered._

_"Well you're our friend of course, Yugi. We'd do anything to keep you safe. And don't worry, we are the only ones who know what occurred tonight. I convinced them not to call anyone without your consent," Ryou explained, nodding his head in the direction of Joey, Seto and Marik._

_"Thanks Ryou. And thanks to the rest of you as well," Yugi expressed._

_"You should know that nothing becomes between us. And it we have to kick somebody's ass it makes it all the better," Joey happily stated._

_Yugi cracked a small smile and hugged his group of friends. He flinched at the pain, and stepped back to ask another question._

_"Look, I know I've been kicked and dropped to the ground, but is there any reason why I'm so sore?"_

_Joey and Marik exchanged looks, each one trying not to laugh._

_"Yeah, uhm, I sort of fell on you while I was fighting one of the pansies," Marik answered. "But I grabbed a pipe lying nearby and knocked him out with one hit."_

_"Oh, good to know," Yugi articulated._

_"So, how're you doing Yugi?" Seto questioned seriously._

_Yugi was taken aback by the tone of his voice, but answered honestly._

_"Surprisingly, I'm fine. I know most people go insane after what I just experienced, but I handle things a little differently. Instead of thinking about the bad things that happen, I focus on the fact that my friends and family are here with me, making me feel better in every which way possible."_

_This my be the truth yes, but Yugi left out a very important point: after he has been comforted by his loved ones, he goes off by himself, either to his bedroom or the park and cries insanely. Once he finishes emptying himself of his self loathing, he returns to his family and friends pretending that he was handling the situation well._

_"That's good to hear," Marik said, a small smile formed on his face._

_A few minutes of silence passed before anyone said anything. And it was Yugi who broke the bothersome silence._

_"I'm really glad you guys are my friends. I probably wouldn't even be here if you guys hadn't found me," Yugi said plainly._

_Yugi got sad but happy looks from his friends; as they smiled, Yugi smiled with them._

_'I really do have the best friends in the world,' Yugi happily thought to himself._

* * *

By the time Yugi was done reminiscing in the past, his face was covered in dry tears and his hands were shaking. He really could not handle all of his emotions and feelings conjuring up in one moment; love, hate, fear, sadness, compassion and friendship filled Yugi's body. He loves and hates his friends at the same time.

'_No, not hate. I don't hate them,_' Yugi corrected himself. '_Jealous maybe, but not hate._ _Are they the reason why I do these things to myself?'_

'_Even if they were the reason, I'm positive that they don't do it on purpose. They're not aware of the real reason that I hurt myself. Back then, it was because I was being made fun of for liking boys instead of girls and they knew that. But now, it's because of them. It _is_ because of them isn't it?_'

Yugi couldn't bring himself to an answer. He did not want to admit that his friends are the reason why he hurts himself. That would just confuse them. Maybe if he explained that it really isn't their fault, but his own. They didn't do anything wrong; they are just being themselves. It is Yugi that is jealous of them, so it must mean that he is the one to blame for his actions.

"If only I had somebody to love, then I wouldn't be feeling like this and doing things I swore I'd never do again."

Yugi sighed and lay down on his bed. He was still wrapped in his towel from his so called 'shower', which was well over an hour ago. But he didn't care. He was so exhausted and tired that he couldn't care less what he wore to bed.

Yugi looked over at his clock and the time displayed was 12:30am.

'_Jii-chan will be leaving in five hours,_' Yugi thought. He couldn't exactly feel happy at the moment, but this reminder lifted his spirits ever so slightly.

Yugi rolled over on his stomach, turned his head and closed his eyes.

Tonight, nothing will interrupt him from having a peaceful sleep.

* * *

Cool atmosphere. Dark surroundings. Naked body. Spotlight.

Yugi was in the exact same dream he was the night before, except that he was wearing a towel instead of his boxers this time.

He stood alone for a while, until he heard the familiar steps of another body walking towards him.

He squinted his eyes and immediately recognized the figure. It was his older look-a-like. Instead of Yugi's uniform though, he wore black leather pants, a black undershirt and a grey jacket with the collar popped up.

Yugi noticed something strikingly different about him. His clothes were ripped in several places, his head was bleeding and blood stained his face and arms.

'_What's happened to him?_' Yugi thought, with a strong look of concern written upon his face.

His look-a-like looked at him and he could sense his turmoil. He did not speak, nor did he look away. He remained where he was, and continued to eye him up and down.

Yugi simply stared back, his bottom lip beginning to quiver. He bit down on it, holding back the tears that threatened to escape his glistening orbs.

Yugi was confused as to why his body had conjured up the tears in the first place; why did he care so much about this man? Was it because he was feeling sympathetic, or was it something else?

Yugi couldn't figure out the answer to this question at the moment, so he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and focused on the present situation; there is a man that looks exactly like himself standing infront of him and he is badly hurt.

'_What should I do?_' Yugi thought.

To be honest, there was nothing much Yugi could do. He didn't have anything to stop the blood pouring from his head, besides his towel and...

'_That's it!_'

Yugi slowly walked towards the beat up human, and stopped when his chest was just inches away from coming into contact with the man's body.

The man hadn't moved at all; it was as if his feet were bolted to the floor. He did not flinch, move back or un-cross his arms. He kept his stance and let Yugi do as he ever so pleased.

The only thing though, was that Yugi wasn't sure what to do. If he removed his towel, he'd be standing butt-naked in front of him. He did not want to create the most awkward moment he's ever established. In the end, it was for the benefit of the bleeding man in his presence.

Yugi took hold of the corner of the towel wrapped securely around his waist and began to unravel it. He held the whole towel vertically, covering himself somewhat. He grabbed one corner of the towel and gently began dabbing the bleeding side of the man's head.

Yugi could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks, his blush forming. He noticed this and turned his face away, not wanting the man to look at him.

But, to Yugi's surprise, the man lightly grabbed Yugi's chin and turned his face to look at him again. He removed his hand and placed it upon the hand Yugi was using to stop the blood streaming down his face. Yugi stopped dabbing and simply stared at the man in confusion.

'_What's he doing?_' Yugi thought to himself, discombobulated.

The way the man was looking at Yugi made Yugi shift uncomfortably, looking down at the black floor. But the man repeated his actions and made Yugi look back up at him.

When Yugi looked into his eyes, he saw his own reflection. But he could also see the horrible pain he was experiencing. This made Yugi's lip twitch again, and he bit down to stop it. Yugi did not want to cry infront of this person, simply because he is sick of it. He is sick of crying and sick of feeling sad and angry. He would not cry, for both their sakes.

Yugi lowered the towel in his hand and wrapped it around his waist once more, ignoring all the blood that had seeped into it.

To Yugi's bewilderment, it was not him that began to cry, but his look-a-like. Tiny tears formed in the corner of his eyes and traveled down his cheeks. He pulled the corner of his lip, attempting a small smile.

Was he happy? He couldn't possibly be; not when he looks like what he does.

Yugi tilted his head slightly, still confused as to what was happening.

The man brought his hand up to Yugi's face and gently stroked it, leaving shivers coursing though Yugi's body. The coldness in his hand neutralized the warmth of Yugi's face.

The shivers continued, as the hand trekked along the curvature of his face. Yugi couldn't deny that he enjoyed it; the soft, delicate fingers that caressed his face drained his mind of his thoughts and made his body go limp.

Yugi let out a small whimper when the soothing stopped. The man let out a little chuckle of his own and looked at Yugi with his tired eyes. He wanted so much more, but it would have to wait.

Yugi opened his mouth to say something, but once he did the thought vanished so he closed his mouth. He sighed and looked down.

'_Why?_' Was all Yugi could think of. '_Why is this happening? Could this mean anything?_'

Yugi sighed once more and twirled his fingers in the towel. He felt two hands cup his face and lift it so that it was facing upwards for a third time.

By now, Yugi had begun crying. Not insanely, but silently and helplessly. He wanted to know what was going on; this all felt so real and he didn't want it to end.

"Who are you?" Yugi finally asked.

The man smiled a little more and kissed Yugi on the forehead. He pulled back and looked down at him. He brushed both of his thumbs against Yugi's cheeks before leaning in closer until his lips were against Yugi's ear.

Yugi didn't know whether to be delighted or frightened; he wanted the man to be closer to him yes, but he had an uneasy feeling about it. His stomach was in knots and his heart was racing. He was about to pull back from the embrace, but the man answered Yugi's question before he had the chance.

"Your dark."

At that moment, Yugi felt the fingers slip away from his face as he was being hauled down into the surface below him.

He began screaming and crying as the man faded away, and was replaced with darkness.

* * *

Yugi woke up drenched in sweat and panting heavily. He had gained enough control of himself to not scream from his obscure dream and wake his sleeping jii-chan.

Yugi looked around him and realized that he was positioned safely in his bed. He calmed his breaths by inhaling and exhaling more slowly and used the sheets that remained on his bed to wipe the sweat from his face.

He removed the bedding, sat on the edge of his bed and rested his head in his palms. The dream had gotten more vivid, frightening and enjoyable at the same time and Yugi was trying to figure out how that could be.

He stood up and walked around his bed until he was standing under the moonlight that his skylight transmitted. He looked up at the crescent moon, and replayed the dream in his mind.

"Dark. Cold. Blood. Soft. Fear. Sadness. Pain. Happiness. Touch."

Yugi repeated these words and stroked the same place the man had touched him; even though he was awake and the man wasn't there with him, he could still feel the light caressing the man graciously gave him.

"Your dark..."

These two little words could mean anything, really. It could be a good thing or a bad thing. Either way, Yugi wouldn't gain knowledge of the meaning behind said words for quite a while.

Sighing in defeat, Yugi returned to his bed and plopped down on the mattress. Lying on his back and staring at the ceiling, the words abided in Yugi's mind.

'_Your dark..._' it reiterated.

* * *

alright, i **promise **that i will introduce Yami officially into the story in the next chapter.

don't worry, as the story goes on i'll add in lots of smut and fluff between all the characters and make it less depressing.

farewell!

p.s. writing these chapters takes longer than i thought, so you'd probably have to wait over a week until the next chapter comes out. but i'll get them done, so don't fret


	6. Unexpected Guest

alrighty, i give you chapter six everyone! enjoy!

* * *

_Intro: The day has finally come. Solomon departed the house very early in the morning and left a note for Yugi. Telling him his chores, 'don't be late for school' kind of things, the old 'don't burn the house down' rule and to make sure he eats an actual meal while he's away. Yugi decides to be his lazy self and do nothing but eat and watch tv. His friends come over unannounced to give him some company. He tries his best not to be rude and jealous in front of them, and luckily for him he succeeds. Once they have left, Yugi wasn't expecting anymore guests; but a certain cry for help quickly turned that around..._

* * *

Yugi managed to go the rest of the night without another dream so vague and terrifying as his recurring incubus.

He woke up around midday, completely exhausted. He was never a morning person like Ryou, and he wasn't going to start now.

He rolled around in his bed a few times before sitting up. He extended his arms over his head and took a big stretch. He twisted his torso left and right until he heard a crack in his back.

"Ooohhhh," Yugi emitted, the crack giving him undeniable pleasure.

It was unreasonably cold in his room. He didn't remember it being like this when he went to sleep.

He looked around his room, and noticed that his skylight was open. This was very unusual, since Yugi never opened those windows. He couldn't even reach them.

"Jii-chan," Yugi said to himself, shaking his head. Why would his jii-chan open his windows in the middle of the night? Let alone windows that were planted on the ceiling.

"He probably came in when he was leaving and saw that I was sweating," Yugi concluded. That has got to be the reason why.

Yugi got out of bed and made his way over to his desk that was placed under the skylight. He climbed on top, pushed the two frames upwards and locked the hatch on the left side of the window.

Once it was securely shut, Yugi dismounted from his desk and yawned. He had had a rough night and needed to wake up. So he decided to take a shower, since he was in much need of one.

He didn't need to take off the towel he wore to bed, since it had fallen off when he was tossing and turning while he was sleeping. And he need not worry about anyone seeing him walk around naked, since he had the house to himself.

He lazily walked into the bathroom and pulled out another couple of towels. He placed one on the floor and the other on the sink counter top. He pulled open the shower door, stepped in and turned on the water. He soaked his whole body before applying the sweet scented shampoo into his messy hair. He scrubbed the liquidy substance to every inch of his huge mane and proceeded to rinsing it out. The bottle was empty once he finished using it, so he opened the shower door and laid it on the floor. He carried on with the rinsing and squirted some body wash onto his loofa and began lathering himself.

He noticed that he still had the bandages wrapped around his arms, and wondered whether or not to take them off. Nobody was there except for Yugi, so no one would know about it.

He decided to take them off, because nobody would see them and they were ruined anyways.

He set his loofa back on the wall and began unravelling soggy the material. He threw them over top of the shower without hesitation and looked down at his arms.

The cuts looked pretty jagged and dingy in colour. They weren't cut along in straight lines and some were deeper than others. They have already begun to scar and there's no way to get rid of them. There are many different types of scar creams to use, but it won't rid a person of the emotional hurt that has been done to them. The scar may be gone, but the hurt always stays.

Yugi placed his arms at his sides and tried to rid his brain of the flashing images that were clouding his vision. He raised his head and let the hot substance dribble over his face.

'_Go away,_' Yugi angrily thought.

As if they were frightened of him, the multiple images went away as soon as Yugi commanded them. It was as if Yugi could control what memories he can see, without them coming back.

Yugi lowered his head and opened his eyes. Water trickled over his eyelashes onto his cheeks and down the drain. Yugi sighed and continued to wash himself until he was freshly cleansed.

Yugi almost tripped over the shampoo bottle he laid out on the floor when he stepped out of the shower. Using the benefit of his reflexes, he quickly stretched his hand behind him and grasped onto the shower door. His heart was racing and warming up when his body was still. He slowly pulled himself up and steadied his feet.

"Why must I almost always face plant when I'm done showering?" Yugi angrily muttered to himself, walking over to the sink.

He ignored the towel sitting on the shower door, and began to wipe the steam from the mirror instead. He looked in the damp surface, and eyed himself up and down. He locked eyes with the ones in the mirror, and stopped to think. A new image was occupying his mind at the moment. And that figure was of the boy in Yugi's recurring dream.

'_Who _is_ he,_' Yugi wondered. '_And what's he got to do with me?_'

Yugi didn't have an answer to this pounding question. All he could do was hope that he would find out soon.

* * *

It was about three in the afternoon when Yugi was disturbed of his peace. He was sitting on his living room couch when he heard something downstairs in the shop.

'_That reminds me, I'll have to sort those boxes of cards before grandpa comes home,_' Yugi reminded himself._ 'And all the other things he asked me to do on that list._'

He got up from his seat and walked downstairs. The shop was closed on Sundays, so he had no idea why someone would walk in.

"I'm sorry but the shop is cl-" Yugi didn't finish his sentence when he saw that no one had come in.

He looked around nervously. Everything looked normal. Nothing was disarray, no cards were thrown to the ground and nothing had been touched. Yugi advanced forward, opened the front door and looked up and down the streets. The pavement coated walkways were deserted. It made sense though, because not a lot of people wandered around his neighbourhood.

Yugi stepped backwards and closed the door. He hadn't noticed the faint sound of footsteps scurrying up the stairs, but he'll find out sooner or later.

Yugi turned around and inspected the store one last time before he went back upstairs. Everything was in its place and nothing was out of order. Yugi shrugged his shoulders and lazily made is way up the stairs back to the living room.

When he reached the top of the stairs, he looked to his left and noticed that the kitchen light was on and one of the drawers were open.

'_I don't remember going into the kitchen,_' Yugi curiously thought to himself.

Yugi cautiously walked into the kitchen and stood in front of the island. He kept his eyes open and slowly shifted to the right to close the open drawer. His heart was racing and he didn't know what to expect.

When he convinced himself that no one was lurking in his kitchen, he steadily returned to the living room.

It wasn't too long after that when he was distracted by another noise coming from upstairs.

'_What is it now,_' Yugi annoyingly thought.

Yugi got to his feet and stomped up the stairs. He wasn't in the best mood to be fooled around with. Just a few hours ago he was seriously maiming himself, and he wouldn't hesitate to do the same to whatever was bothering him at the moment.

Yugi got to the top of the stairs and twisted his head left and right. Nothing was in his room nor in the bathroom. He walked to the end of the hall and opened his jii-chan's bedroom door. He looked around and came up empty. He closed the door and turned around, heading for the stairs. When he reached the bottom, he had a strange feeling that he was being watched. Yugi gulped, hair crawling and heart pounding. He turned around ever so slowly, hoping to find the source of his uneasiness, but nothing was there.

Yugi made a confused look and breathed a sigh of relief. He was being a little too paranoid. He took another breath before turning his head to go back to the living room.

But when Yugi swung his head back around, he screamed as loud as he could and fell to the ground. His cries died down once he realized what was in front of him, more specifically, _who_ was in front of him.

Marik, Ryou, and Joey were on the ground, laughing their heads off. Seto on the other hand, was standing perfectly still, arms crossed, with a large smirk on his face.

"Oo-ooh gods Yhu-Yugi," Marik squealed with his eyes squeezed shut, clutching his stomach.

Yugi thought he heard either Joey or Ryou say something, but they were too caught up in their laughing to properly pronounce their words.

Yugi looked up at Seto, who just stood there and shook his head, still smirking.

"I'm gonna kill you guys," Yugi scowled, obviously upset with the intrusion.

"We'd luh-liked to s-s-ee you try," Joey spat, trying to control his laughter.

"You would, would you?" Yugi glared, getting an idea.

Before Joey knew what was happening, Yugi jumped on top of him and pinned his wrists against the cold hard ground and sat on his mid-section. This action made Joey laugh harder and louder, which caused him pain in his stomach area. Ryou had grabbed onto the arm rest of the living room sofa and supported himself with it. Marik was still on the ground, but he controlled his chortling and was able to sit up and wipe the tears from his eyes. Seto was still sneering, but was laughing at Joey instead of Yugi.

"C'mon puppy. Yugi couldn't possibly be hurting you, he's only ninety-two pounds!" Seto teased.

"Well for ninety-two pounds he's- hu hu- pretty- hea-heavy," Joey huffed, trying to breathe.

"Awwh that's not a nice thing to say Joey," Yugi taunted. "You hurt my feelings, so I'm not going anywhere."

With that, Yugi leaned forward, adding pressure on Joey's abdomen. A grunt escaped from Joey's mouth, signalizing that he was in more pain.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry Yug. Now can you please get off?" Joey pleaded.

"I dunno. Can I?" Yugi was beginning to enjoy this.

"May you get off of me?" Joey corrected.

"I dunno. May I?" Yugi could go on all day with this.

"Yugi please, you're crushin ma stomach!" Joey was beginning to feel queasy.

"I'm sorry Joey, I didn't quite catch that," Yugi went on.

"Yug, I just had a sihtload of food before we came here, so can you pleassssse get off of me before I puke all over you?"

Joey was ready to explode when the weight on his body suddenly subsided. He looked up and noticed that Yugi had been hoisted off of him by Seto.

Joey breathed a sigh of relief and sat up. He held his stomach and coughed a few times before standing up.

"Geez Yug, for such a little guy you pack in quite alota weight," Joey commented.

"Watch it Joey, next time I might sit on your throat," Yugi threatened, deadly serious.

Joey held his hands up in defence with wide eyes. He has never heard Yugi talk to him like that before. Or at all actually. What was wrong with him?

"You alright Yug?" Joey carefully questioned, not wanting to provoke Yugi any further.

"I'm just wondering why the hell my so called 'friends' decided to give me a heart attack," Yugi answered matter-of-factly.

"Cause that's what friends do," Marik butt in. "We torture each other."

"Well could you choose a less creepy way next time?" Yugi suggested, still dumbfounded at their choice of entry into his house.

"But Seto's a big fan of creepy Yug," Joey chimed, smirking over a Seto.

Seto just glared at Joey, not wanting to strangle him there and then. So instead, he spoke as creepily as he could.

"You would know, wouldn't you puppy?" Seto said, leaving the hairs on Joey's body stand up. He didn't really like it when Seto spoke like that; well in front of his friends anyway. When Seto speaks like this it gets Joey going, and Joey didn't want to produce some wood at the moment. Instead he just blushed and looked away.

"So," Ryou said, sensing Joey's embarrassment, "What do we plan on doing tonight?"

"I think we should pester Yugi until he hates all of us," Marik coaxed with a devious smile, wrapping an arm around him.

Yugi knew that tone of voice and the look on his friend's face. Yugi knew _exactly _what he had in mind.

"Oooooh no, I don't think so Marik," Yugi avowed, not wanting to be included in Marik's idea.

"Oooooh I _do _think so Yugi," Marik purred, tightening his drip around Yugi's waist. Marik must've squeezed a nerve in Yugi, because Yugi screamed in laughter and was soon on the ground.

"Looks like I've found a weakness," Marik cooed.

Yugi couldn't respond since he was being bombarded with tickle attacks.

"Muhuu-MarIK-ss-sst-tto-ooOOP!" Yugi was running out of air and he wanted Marik to stop tickling him.

"Not until you agree to give yourself to me," Marik taunted, continuing to squeeze Yugi's hips.

"N-n-n-n-huhh-n-o-o-OW!" Yugi suddenly screamed. Marik immediately stopped his torment and stepped back. He didn't realize that he was hurting Yugi.

Yugi controlled himself and coughed before looking up at Marik. Yugi could tell that Marik was worried because of the look on his face, but he quickly explained himself before Marik did anything.

"I'm fine Marik. You didn't do anything."

"Then why'd you scream?"

"Because of this."

Yugi stood up and lifted his shirt to expose the bruise he'd gotten a few days ago. It didn't look bad at all. It was just a big blob of green and yellow now, but it still hurt apparently.

Marik's eyes widened and opened his mouth in complete shock. Ryou stood beside Marik to see what Yugi was talking about. His eyes widened as well and he held Marik's hand because he was beginning to shake. Seto and Joey had surrounded the three of them and they too, had the same look of distress on their faces.

Yugi looked around at his friends nervously. He didn't know he would be so sudden with showing them the bruise. He hadn't intended on it, since it wasn't such a big deal to him. Plus he didn't want to raise any unnecessary suspicion.

Yugi let go of his shirt and let it fall to his side. Once he did this his friends blinked and looked up at him, all with a worried look in their eyes.

"Yugi, what happened?" Ryou was the one who spoke, and he said it with concern in his voice.

"Before you all get the wrong idea, I will tell you that I got it from falling," Yugi stated.

"When?" Marik sarcastically commented.

"Two days ago," Yugi answered.

"How?" Joey questioned.

"From falling," Yugi repeated in monotone.

"What he meant was, how did you manage to get a bruise like that from falling?" Seto explained.

"When I was walking home I managed to trip and land on the curb," Yugi elucidated.

"More like somebody came up to ya and attacked ya with a bloody hamma," Marik spat in disbelief.

'_Even Marik is starting to sound like Ryou,_' Yugi thought before continuing.

"Look, believe what you want, but that's how I got it."

"Does it hurt much at all?" Ryou quietly asked, looking down.

Yugi turned his head in Ryou direction and answered softly.

"Not that much. It doesn't bother me when I walk anymore and it doesn't hurt if I touch it. I guess it only hurts when a lot of pressure is added on to it."

Ryou smiled shyly to himself and nodded his head. He never likes it when he's in awkward situations, so his solution is to talk as quietly and as little as possible.

"It does look like it's healing though," Yugi added. "Bruises turn this colour when they begin to go back to normal."

Nobody knew what to say after that, so they all stood in silence for a few minutes.

when he could take no more, Joey picked up Yugi and walked over to the couch. The sleeves on Yugi's shirt rose, and he quickly pulled them back down to make sure Joey didn't see the fresh markings. Once they reached the living room, Joey plopped Yugi down on the couch and stood infront of him. Yugi was as confused as he's even been, so he gave Joey a very confused look. Joey didn't really know what he was doing either, so he did his best not to look confused himself.

When he finally thought of something, Joey pulled something out of his back pocket. It was his cell phone, and he punched random numbers into the keypad and walked away into the kitchen.

Yugi remained where he was, still bumfuzzled. He turned around and looked at his friends for answers. They all gave him a shoulder shrug, telling Yugi that they don't know what Joey was doing.

Once Joey was finished conversing with the unknown person on the other line, he turned around and strutted back to the living room. Yugi's head turned with Joey's movements until it was facing forward. Yugi looked up and stared at Joey. He still had no idea what he was doing.

"Do you still have that movie you rented, Yug?" Joey asked.

"Uhh, yeah. It's upstairs in my room," Yugi answered.

"Go get it."

"Why do y-"

"Can you please just go get it?" Joey interrupted.

Yugi cocked his head to one side and narrowed his eyes at Joey. Since when was he so demanding? Yugi didn't know what Joey had in mind, but he did what he was told and reluctantly got up from his seat and went upstairs to his room to retrieve the movie.

While Yugi was rummaging around for the movie, a whole stream of thoughts came into mind.

'_What's he planning?_' Was Yugi's first thought. '_And who was he talking to and why does he want my movie?_'

Yugi didn't know what to expect, but knowing Joey, it was something unpredictable; even if it was blatantly obvious.

Yugi found the movie and returned downstairs. Everyone had moved into the living room now, and they were all sitting on the couches. Yugi sauntered over to them, still curious as to what was going on.

Yugi placed the movie on the living room table once he entered, and gave his friends a dumbfounded look.

"Can somebody please tell me what's going on?" Yugi demanded, his patience growing thin.

"You'll find out soon enough Yugi," Marik answered in a soft tone.

Yugi rolled his eyes and sighed. There was nothing more he could do at the moment than wait and see what Joey's planned out for tonight. Yugi took a seat next to Marik and rested his head against his shoulder. Yugi wouldn't usually do this, since the situation always ended up with Marik pinning him against the floor, wall, bed; where ever Marik could trap him. But he couldn't care less about what he would do to him right now; he was too jittery and nervous about what was going to happen when Joey's plan took action.

Surprisingly enough, Marik did nothing more than wrap his arm around Yugi. He had his other arm wrapped around Ryou, who also had his head against his shoulder. Marik pulled the two boys closer to him and breathed deeply. Oh how he loved being loved. He smiled to himself and watched his friend's chests rise and fall in unison. He looked over to his left at Joey and Seto. Joey was comfortably nestled in Seto lap, with his head nuzzled in Seto neck. Joey had his eyes closed, but Marik knew better than to suppose that he was asleep. Seto was slowly petting Joey's hair and he occasionally shifted in his spot, egging for more. Following his silent orders, Seto turned his head and buried it in the side of Joey's head. He moved down and began to give Joey tiny love bites. Joey moaned in pleasure and bit his lip to control himself.

Marik smirked and shook his head. They'd stop at nothing to please each other.

Marik laid his head against Ryou's, and stroked both Ryou and Yugi's arms. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Yugi removed his head from Marik's shoulders and positioned himself to lie down on his lap. Yugi rested his head on Marik's legs, bent his knees and closed his eyes. It felt nice to be able to be in his friend's presence and not want to cry about it.

Just when everyone was enjoying themselves, there was a knock at the door. It was faint, because it was down in the shop, but everyone was able to hear it since it was so quiet. All the boys moaned in annoyance. Nobody wanted to get out of their spots, so they began arguing as to whom would answer the door.

"I'm not going," Marik quickly avowed.

"I'm not going either," Joey muttered under Seto's head.

"Why not, it was your idea," Marik pointed out.

"Why doesn't Yugi get it? It's his house," Joey suggested.

"I don't even know what you planned so I'm not going," Yugi said.

"Will somebody get it?" Seto hissed.

"Fine, I'll go get it," Ryou said.

Ryou removed Marik's arm around his shoulder and got up. Marik whimpered, not wanting his lover to leave him. Ryou simply smiled and went downstairs to the shop to answer the door. Marik sighed, but he remembered that Yugi was still resting on his lap. He began to lightly stroke Yugi's soft hair, and he gained a shiver from the small boy.

"That tingles, Marik," Yugi quavered.

Marik didn't respond; he just kept petting his hair until Ryou returned. When Ryou came back, he was holding two big, white cardboard boxes. The aroma that emitted from them was mesmerizing.

Yugi lifted his head and turned it towards Ryou. '_I wonder what's in there_,' Yugi sarcastically thought to himself. He had an idea of what was inside, but he was positive he was correct.

Joey, Seto and Marik turned their heads towards Ryou as well, and breathed in the sweet smell of their dinner.

"Suppers ready," Ryou said in a chipper voice.

All the boys smiled as Ryou brought the pizza boxes to the living room. He set them down on the table and went to go get plates and paper towels from the kitchen. As soon as he turned his back Joey hopped out of Seto's lap and opened the first box. The sweet sight of pepperoni, bacon, sausage and salami filled the eyes of the teen. Joey licked he lips and went to grab one when his hand was slapped away by Ryou.

"Ah ah ah, not yet. We need to get the movie going." Ryou reminded him.

Joey glared at Ryou and huffed. He didn't like it when he was being delayed of eating precious food.

"Oh don't look at me like that, you'll devour it soon enough."

No more than ten minutes later, three quarters of the pizza in the first box was gone. A majority had been eaten by Joey, and he felt like he'd just eaten a slice of bologna. He was starving and he was no where near being full. He opened the next box of pizza and realized that it was just cheese. No meat added; just plain, normal cheese pizza. He'd forgotten he'd ordered this type of pizza for Yugi.

"Hey Yug, dis one's for you," Joey said, while shoving the pizza box in Yugi's direction.

"Thanks Joey," Yugi replied. Yugi wasn't much of a meat person and was grateful that Joey had remembered it.

Yugi was about to take the first bite when Marik spoke.

"Do you have any drinks Yugi?" he asked.

"I think so," Yugi answered, a little unsure.

Yugi set his pizza on his plate and walked over Marik's legs before entering the kitchen. Luckily, Yugi had a variety of drinks to serve.

"What do you guys want?" Yugi called.

"What is there?" Marik shouted back.

"I have Mountain Dew, Water, lemonade, Coke and Sprite," Yugi yelled.

"Mountain Dew!" Marik hollered.

"Coke, Sprite, lemonade and water!" Joey ordered.

Yugi shook his head and took out all the bottles of drinks. He retrieved five plastic cups from his cupboard and set them on the counter. When he was filling the second cup with Marik's Mountain Dew, someone touched his shoulder.

"Would you like some help Yugi?" Ryou offered. He was always the one to help others if they needed it.

"Uhm, sure Ryou, thanks." Ryou smiled and began pouring the rest of the drinks with Yugi.

Once filled, Ryou and Yugi brought the drinks over to their friends. They placed them randomly on the table, and Yugi told them that they could have whatever they want and could take as much as they want. They all took their drinks and continued watching the movie.

A few minutes later, Joey excused himself to go to the bathroom. Nobody thought much of it, since a guy's gotta go when a guy's gotta go. But when Joey didn't come back down after his regular thirty seconds, they began to worry.

"I'm gonna go see if Joey's alright," Seto said as he stood up and dashed up the stairs to the bathroom that Joey was occupying.

"I'm sure he's fine," Marik assured. "He probably feels a little sick after eating all of that shit."

Ryou and Yugi nodded their heads and continued to watch the movie. Marik was able to convince them that Joey felt a little queasy, but he hadn't didn't convinced himself. This has happened a couple of times before and Marik was suspicious. He didn't want to confront him about it in case he had the wrong idea, but at the same time he desperately wanted to know. He had stopped himself a couple of times before, but he didn't know how long he could keep this up. He'd rather find out sooner than later.

Marik's train of thought came to a halt when Joey and Seto returned downstairs. Seto sat down first and Joey slowly situated himself in his lap. Seto looked fine, but Joey was looking rather pale. He rested his head in Seto's neck, knees bent and his hand was covering his stomach. Seto wrapped his arm around Joey and held his hand, stroking it.

Ryou and Yugi exchanged worried looks, while Marik tried to restrain himself from saying anything he'd regret later. So he tried something sensible.

"A-are you alright Joey?" He calmly asked.

Joey turned his head in Marik's direction and gave him a smile. He couldn't find himself to speak, so he nodded his head letting him know he was fine, and returned to nuzzling Seto's neck.

Marik bit his lip and focused his attention on the movie.

'_Please be alright Joey,_' Marik thought.

* * *

Yugi was grateful that his friends had the decency to clean up after themselves. It saved him a whole lot of time after they left.

It was eleven o'clock at night by the time his friends decided to disperse. Yugi had a good time he had to admit. Other than the way they decided to enter his home, he enjoyed himself.

Joey went back to his old self when they all discussed which characters were the hottest once the movie ended. There was a big controversy between Channing Tatum and Dave Franco. They were all yelling and laughing at each other during the debate, and they all agreed that the men were both equally hot.

After that, Marik suggested that they play the 'fire truck game' together. The rules are simple: one person places their hand somewhere on another person's body, and the victim simply has to say 'red light' if they want them to stop. Seems simple enough. But there's one tiny detail that Marik forgot to mention: fire trucks don't stop for red lights.

By the time Marik was finished with Yugi, he was aroused beyond end while Yugi was panting and sweating. Marik moved onto Ryou, who was absent when Marik explained the rules of the game. Ryou didn't suspect anything at all, and was caught off guard when Marik didn't stop when he told him to. Ryou was a hot mess once Marik had his way with him. Seto and Joey on the other hand... they never play by the rules. So obviously, when Joey began tracing his fingers up and down Seto's legs, Seto didn't stop him. He granted Joey access to every part of his body and he didn't resist. Both of them were out of breath and practically naked once they finished.

Marik had to fake cough a couple of times to make them realize that they weren't the only people in the house. They both blushed furiously and settled down before they embarrassed themselves anymore in front of their friends.

Yugi continued to pick up the debris his friends left behind and threw them in the garbage. It was getting kind of full so he decided to dispose of it in the garbage bin at the back of the house.

Yugi stripped out of his shirt before gathering the garbage and heading outside. He was as hot as ever and he was starting to smell bad. Nobody's ever awake during this time of night anyway, so no one would see Yugi walking around without a shirt on.

He tied a knot in the garbage bag, threw it over his shoulder and walked down into the shop. He checked the garbage behind the counter, and decided to empty it as well. He undid the knot and dumped the remains into the bag. He set the container back in its spot, redid the knot and walked outside.

The cool air flowed over Yugi's skin and instantly neutralized the heat in his body. Yugi shivered from the cool atmosphere, but it felt nice to breath in the fresh air.

He turned to his left and walked down the alleyway until he reached the garbage bin. He set the garbage bag down, went on his tip toes and lifted the heavy black lid. He shoved it against the brick wall and hoisted the garbage bag into the bin. He shuffled to the side of the bin and pushed the lid back down. He wiped his hands on his pants and yawned. He was exhausted from today's events and needed to go to bed.

Yugi was about to turn the corner when a noise from the alleyway caught his attention. He turned around and squinted his eyes down the dark pathway. He didn't see anything, so he shrugged it off and continued his way. His hand was grasped on the shop door and he tried pushing it open. After a few shakes, he realized that it was locked. Luckily, the shop keys were in his pant pockets. He pulled them out and stuck the key in the lock. Once he turned it, a loud noise of metal and metal crashing together made Yugi jump and drop the keys.

"Holy shit," Yugi muttered, his heart pounding at the sudden collision.

He annoyingly picked up the keys, put them back in his pocket and headed back into the alley. He searched the cold, damp surfaces within the alley but found nothing. Yugi sighed and began walking in the other direction. He reached the garbage bin when he heard a loud grunt and a cry of pain from behind him. He turned around and saw a large man holding a young boy by the neck up against the wall. It was too dark to make out any details, so all Yugi could see was the silhouette of the two bodies.

Frightened, Yugi dashed behind the garbage bin. He peered around the smelly disposal sight, and watched the scene unfold in front of him.

'_Should I do something?_' Yugi thought. Even if he did do something, he wasn't sure he'd be able to help at all.

Yugi stood up slowly, bending down so they two men wouldn't see him and began to retreat. He was at the safe end of the alley when a certain memory popped into his head. The memory of when his friends saved his life from a bunch of gangbangers filled the whole of Yugi's mind. They didn't run away scared like Yugi was doing right now. They stood and fought until he was safe again.

Thinking this through, Yugi realized that if he ran away now, he'd regret it for the rest of his life. He had the chance to save someone's life, and he wasn't going to stand there and let this boy die.

Taking a deep breath, Yugi clenched his hands and began walking towards the two men.

"Hey," Yugi called. "Let him go."

The two unknown persons turned their heads in Yugi's direction. The bigger man just scoffed while the boy in his grasp gasped for air. Yugi could hear a faint call for help from the boy, but only just. The grip the man had on the boy must've been suffocating him. Infuriated, Yugi commanded once more for the man to let the boy go.

"Who do you th-ink y-ou a-re?" The man stumbled. He seemed drunk, with the stutter in his speech.

"I think you're a drunk who has nothing better to do than to hurt others around you," Yugi said, matter-of-factly.

Yugi was now standing a mere three feet in front of the two people, and he seemed as confident as ever. He may have appeared to look this way, but his hands were shaking vigorously and his heart was pounding. He had never been in a situation like this before. He may have been the victim in a similar situation, but this time he was going to prevail. He was going to be the hero for a change.

"Let. Him. Go," Yugi repeated for a third time.

The man simply laughed at him and turned his attention back towards the boy in his hands.

By this point, Yugi had had enough. He was going to hold nothing back, so he stood between the two and attempted to push them apart. The harassing man laughed again and grabbed Yugi by his arm and threw him to the ground. Yugi groaned as he landed on the ground. He must've landed on something other than the damp cement, because something cold and sharp struck him in the back. He turned around quickly to find out that it was the screws on a pipe attached to the wall.

Rolling his eyes, Yugi stood back up, using the wall to support himself. He looked up and saw that the harasser was exploring the boy's body. Filled with rage and disgust, Yugi breathed deeply and jumped on his back, wrapping his arms around his neck in the process.

The harasser let go of his victim and focused his attention on the brat that was restricting him from breathing. He moved his hands up to his neck, grabbing Yugi's wrists and pulling him off of himself. He threw Yugi against the brick wall and watched him fall to the ground. He looked around on the ground and found a decent sized pipe. He picked it up, and was about to strike Yugi when he felt another pair of arms tightly wrap around his neck. He dropped the pipe, and brought his hands to his neck again.

The boy was using all of his strength to prevent his harasser from hurting Yugi; and he was losing his backbone.

The harasser swung his body around, trying to get the boy off his back. But the boy kept his grip and didn't even think of letting go.

Running out of air, the harasser thought of the only thing he could do. He turned so that he back was facing the wall, he backed up hurriedly and slammed the boy against the brick wall with force.

The boy groaned loudly and saw stars when he made contact with the hard surface. He let go of the man and fell to the ground, landing on his side. He brought one hand to his head and caressed it softly. His whole body was in pain and he could feel himself slowly slipping into unconsciousness.

The harasser coughed a few times and rubbed his neck. It was at this moment that multiple bolts of lightning filled the sky. Thunder rumbled and it was beginning to rain.

Yugi looked up dazedly and caught a glimpse of what the man looked like. His eyes grew wide with shock, as the man was the same one from the movie store a few days before. Stroadburn was his name.

Yugi suddenly found himself on his feet with a pipe in hand. Yugi didn't know why, but this man angered him in a way he didn't understand. He didn't care though; because he was focused on saving the badly injured boy lying on the ground in front of him.

Stroadburn picked up the boy by his neck and pressed him against the wall. He pulled out a switchblade and was about to strike him when Yugi smacked him over the head with the pipe. He screamed loudly from the pain, and the anger he was fuelled with. He dropped the boy for the last time and advanced towards Yugi. He attacked Yugi with the knife and cut Yugi across his chest. The rain had turned Yugi's body temperature cold, and the pain was a little more intense than was intended.

Yugi placed his free hand over his chest to try to stop the blood flowing out of his body. The only thing he managed to accomplish was get his hand all bloody. Nevertheless, Yugi felt weak, but he ignored his new injury and concentrated on saving the boy. He raised the pipe once more and screamed as he used all of his remaining strength to strike Stroadburn up the side of his head. He fell to the ground with a loud thump, and laid there, completely unconscious.

Yugi dropped the pipe and rested his hands on his knees. He breathed a couple of times before standing up. He winced at the pain in his chest and in his back. He'd be having trouble walking again once he woke up the next morning.

Yugi shook his head and pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. He shakily made his way over to the boy lying on the ground. He wrapped one arm under his waist and the other around his shoulder. The boy tried his best to help Yugi, but he was so weak he could black out at any time. But he wasn't about to do that. He pushed himself off the ground and grabbed onto Yugi's arm. He clung to him as they both wobbled their way down the alley, back to the game shop.

Yugi fumbled with the keys, his hands numb from the rain. He managed to open the door with some difficulty, but they made it inside.

They were both huffing and puffing as they walked up the stairs to the Muto home. Yugi pushed the door open and placed the boy against the wall. He walked over to the kitchen to turn on the lights when he heard a loud thud. He turned around and saw that the boy had fallen to the ground, unconscious. Yugi sighed while turning on the light and returning to the boy's aid. The boy had fallen on hid face, so Yugi knelt down and rolled his body so that he was lying on his back.

Yugi gasped at what he saw. This boy, looked exactly like him. Besides the blond streaks in his hair, his age, height and eyes, this boy could be Yugi's twin.

'_It's the guy from my dream,_' Yugi thought, in total astonishment.

Yugi tried to focus on the reason why he had brought the boy with him, and that was to keep him safe. But he couldn't concentrate hard enough. His mind always brought him back to the fact that the boy lying in front of him looked exactly like him.

"Damn it Yugi, focus," Yugi scolded himself.

He slapped his face a few times and shook his head. He then placed one hand under the boy's head, and the other under his knees. He picked him up bridal style, carried him up the stairs to his room and laid him carefully on his bed.

Yugi stood back and examined his own body before aiding the other boy. He had a cut along his chest, a few scrapes on his arms and a sore back. Other than that, he was fine. He turned his head back to the unconscious being lying on his bed and eyed his body up and down.

His clothes were ripped in several places, cuts the length of a pencil were embedded in his arms and chest, and his head was bleeding. Probably because there's a cut ranging from the right side of his head to the middle of his nose. Yugi traced the lengthy cut and pulled his hand away when the boy shifted.

Yugi took a step back and bit down on his lip. He felt a tear fall down his cheek and wiped it away. Why was he crying? Why did he care so much for this boy? Yugi didn't know why, but he had a feeling he'd find out soon.

He left the room slowly, the pain in his back restricting him from walking properly. He entered the bathroom and looked through the cupboard for a wash cloth. He also grabbed the bowl on the sink and filled it with hot water, along with a pair of scissors. He returned to his bedroom and placed the items on his bedside table. Yugi took a deep and grabbed the scissors, positioning them at the hem of the boy's shirt. He slowly began cutting the boy's shirt, and opened the two flaps of fabric once he reached the top of the shirt. Yugi's eyes widened. It was as if the boy's whole body was covered in cuts. His chest was covered in them, and Yugi realized that he had a lot of work to do.

He dipped the cloth in the water, squeezed it over the bowl and began to lightly clean the wounds. The once white cloth was now stained with blood, and obtained more of it with every cut that Yugi attended.

When he was finished with his chest, Yugi debated with himself whether or not he should start to clean the boy's head or check his legs for more wounds. He decided to go for his legs, since he'd have to do it anyway.

Yugi settled the cloth in the water and brought his hands to the top of the boy's tattered pants. He slowly unbuttoned and unzipped the pants, and pulled them down carefully. He was thankful that the boy was wearing boxers, otherwise he'd be face-to-face with something he didn't exactly want to be face-to-face with at the moment.

He removed the boy's shoes and socks before pulling the rest of the pants off him. To his luck, the boy's legs were merely bruised instead of bloodied, and breathed a sigh of relief.

He returned to his original spot, and moved the pieces of hair covering the boys face. Yugi stared at him for a moment, basking in the sight of the boy's face. Even though it was beaten up and covered in blood, he looked so angelic to Yugi. The soft expression on the boy's face put Yugi in a daze. Yugi smiled to himself and caressed the boy's cheek. When he realized what he was doing, Yugi retreated his hand and shook his head.

"Good god Yugi, pay attention!" Yugi slapped himself before continuing to clean the boy's face.

He grabbed the cloth from the bowl, squeezed it and dabbed around the cut. It took quite a while for the boy's face to be rid of the dirt and blood. But Yugi pulled through and removed every drop of dirt and blood from his body.

Yugi straightened his back and stretched. He looked at his work, and took notice that he wasn't finished yet. The cuts may have been cleaned, but now they need to be wrapped.

Yugi returned to the bathroom to quickly wash his hands before grabbing several rolls of the medical bandages, and walked back to his room. He set the materials on the side of the bed, and thought about which part of the boy's body he should begin with. He chose his arms, and begun wrapping them up.

Once he finished, he moved on to his chest. This would be a little more difficult, since he had to lift the boy's body in order to wrap the bandages under his back. He couldn't be that heavy, with how skinny he was.

Yugi started wrapping his chest and stopped when the boy shifted uncomfortably. When he stopped moving, Yugi continued what he started and didn't stop until he finished. It took a little longer than planned, because Yugi was continually distracted by the boy's soft, tanned skin and the abs he had on him. Nevertheless, Yugi finished and moved on to the boys head.

The boy's hair was huge, slightly bigger than Yugi's, much made it even more difficult to wrap his head.

Yugi wiped the sweat off his face before carefully wrapping the bandages around his head, occasionally lifting it. Yugi felt like he could collapse at any moment, the amount of work he did on the boy exhausted him. He set the remaining bandages on the bedside table and yawned. He looked at his alarm clock, and the time read 1:45am. He had spent a large amount of time attending to this stranger.

"Well, looks like I'm not going to school tomorrow," Yugi said to himself. "Not like I was gonna go anyways."

Yugi stretched one last time before covering the sleeping boy with his bed sheets. Looks like he's not going to be sleeping there tonight.

Yugi sighed in disappointment, but he smiled as he took another glance at the boy. He didn't even know his name, but Yugi definitely had feelings for him. He didn't know what kind of feelings; but it was somewhere between the kind where a person would do anything for another, and a deep sense of care. Yugi wasn't going to leave this boy in the dark, and he sure as hell wasn't going to let anything else happen to him.

Just then, the words 'your dark' popped into Yugi's mind. He had forgotten all about what the man in his dreams had said to him. He had said that he was Yugi's dark. Could this boy possibly be his 'dark,' the man was talking about? The boy looked exactly like the man did in his last dream, so it could be possible. Couldn't it?

Yugi couldn't find the answer to this, so he exited his room and went downstairs. He removed the sofa cushions and pulled out the sofa bed. He went to the hall closet and pulled out a couple of blankets and set them on the bed.

Once the sheets were situated, Yugi tore off his pants and plopped down on the mattress and covered himself with the blankets. They immediately gave him warmth, and Yugi shivered in its embrace.

Yugi lay on his back and wondered what would happen when he woke up. Would the boy be awake? Would he leave once he woke up? Or would he stay? And why did he care so much about him?

Too many of these unanswered questions occupied Yugi's mind so he did his best to ignore them.

Eventually, Yugi drifted off to sleep, but not before one last thought managed to sneak its way into his head:

'_Do I love him?_'

* * *

i told you i'd introduce Yami in this chapter! not quite in the way some of you would have been hoping but, i'm the writer of this story! ;p

the only reason i take this long to post if because i'm finishing the chapter. i've never been a fan of writing a small amount of information, so that's why these chapters are really long. sorry if that bugs you :$

until next time!


	7. Suspicions

ok, here's chapter 7 everyone! sorry it took so long. i can never think of anything extraordinary to put into these chapters, but i always eventually think of something.

thank you to **RoseMouto2010** for my first review! and also to one of my friends who's reading this also

**RoseMouto2010: **_**This story...is..AMAZING! I absolutely love these kind of stories involve Yuugi & Yami. I mean yeah it's sad to read about Yuugi cutting himself and just having all of these depressive emotions he's had over the years. I've gone through that & still am. In a way its almost like looking into my own past. But enough about me!**_

_**I'm sooo happy that Yami is finally in the story & yes indeed it was surprising to see how he entered the scene. What I wasn't liking was how he entered so late, but now that I'm caught up it makes more sense. Anyway I'll stop for now & I'll be eagerly awaiting for your next update. Best of luck on this & keep up the great work!**_

don't worry, i'll add lots of fluff and smut to make it less depressing ;)

enjoy!

* * *

_Intro: Yugi has just encountered a rather intriguing being. The stranger he saved was in fact, the man from his dreams! Yugi can't believe it and doesn't know how to handle this new found knowledge. Does he mention that he has dreamt about him twice? Or should he lay low for a while and wait for the right moment to tell him, if there is one? Yugi, unfortunately, cannot think about this right now. He has made himself responsible for the safety of this mysterious being, vowing to never let anyone hurt him again; but Yugi is unaware of the power this cryptic creature possesses..._

* * *

Yugi tossed and turned in his sleep; the position he was lying in was not a pleasant sensation for his spine. His cervical vertebrae did not like being abused so painfully. Yugi arched his back in hope of releasing some of the pain, but he was to no avail. The aching pain in his spine stayed with him and would continue to annoy him if he didn't do anything about it.

Yugi opened his eyes and yawned. He looked out the living room windows and the sky was a black-dark bluish colour.

'_Must be night time still,_' Yugi tiredly thought.

He yawned again before turning on his side and pulling the blankets over his cold body. The soft material instantly gave him the warmth he needed and he moaned in pleasure.

"Mmmmmm." Yugi rubbed his face against his pillow and yawned for a third time. He placed his right hand under his pillow and the other holding onto his wrist. He bent his left leg under the covers and extended the other one. This was Yugi's favourite, and most comfortable, position to sleep in.

He was about to doze off when he was reminded of the fact that he wasn't the only one occupying his house at the moment. There was, in fact, another boy around his age who looked exactly like him, resting peacefully in his bedroom.

"Oh right..." Yugi mumbled. He didn't exactly have the energy to think about what he was going to do the next time he woke up. He had no idea who this boy was, but he made a promise to himself: to never let anyone hurt him again. And this promise was _not_ going to be broken. No matter what happens, Yugi will never stop having a deep sense of care and protection for this unknown stranger.

"I promise," Yugi said aloud, before he went back to sleep.

The moment Yugi woke up, he was surrounded by the overly bright sunlight. It shone through the windows and touched every object it came into contact with, including Yugi's face.

Yugi grunted at the sudden change of lighting, and buried his face in his pillow. He certainly didn't expect to be waking up to this.

"Go away," he commanded the Sun. Unfortunately for him, the Sun wasn't going anywhere.

Yugi sighed into his pillow and slowly sat up. He took a big stretch, yawned and rubbed his eyes. He looked down and saw that the nasty bruise he got three days ago was almost completely gone. It was now a messy blotch of yellow, barely visible.

"Yeah that's right you go away," Yugi scolded at the unwanted blemish.

Inhaling and exhaling another yawn, Yugi kicked his legs over the mattress and stood up. He shook his hair with his hands and made his way over to the kitchen. He opened one of the cupboards and grabbed a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. He set the cereal on the counter, opened a drawer and pulled out a plastic bowl along with a fork. Yugi wasn't one to eat things normally. He 'dissects' his food and eats cereal with a fork. This behaviour isn't exactly classified as 'normal', but Yugi doesn't care. It's his food, and he should be able to eat it how he wants to.

He opened the top of the box and poured a large amount of cereal into the bowl. He placed the box back on the counter and retrieved the milk from the fridge. He splattered his cereal with the white substance and stopped when the bowl was half full. He placed the milk back in the fridge, scooped up his bowl and fork and sat down at the kitchen table.

He ate his breakfast in silence, the only noise being the contact his fork made with the bowl. When he finished, he put the bowl and fork in the sink and ran water over their stained features. He felt a little bloated after that; the milk always gave him what felt like a stomach ache. He wasn't lactose intolerant, so that's not the reason why he feels like his stomach is about to explode.

Yugi began to wonder why he hadn't gotten a call from Joey and this worried him; Joey usually calls him when Yugi isn't waiting at their usual spot when they walk to school together. Yugi supposed that Joey may have forgotten, or he went home with Seto and stayed over night. Nevertheless, Yugi found it peculiar.

Yugi shrugged it off like he always does and strolled over to the staircase that led to the upper level. He'd have to go check on the boy one time or another; to see if he was actually there and if he was alright.

Yugi wondered if the event actually happened; the amount of exhaustion Yugi felt when he went to bed last night was overwhelming. He couldn't think straight and he thought it was all just a dream. But he was going to his bedroom to either confirm or annul his suspicions.

Yugi placed his hand on the railing and began walking up the stairs rather slowly. He began sweating and his heart started to beat faster; his legs felt heavy, his hands felt numb, his whole body was shaking, his stomach was in pain and his chest as well.

When he reached the top of the stairs his body was having a meltdown. Nothing kept still and everything was shaking. It took a while for Yugi to realize that he was having a panic attack.

"C-c-c-caaalm, d-d-d-downnn." Yugi was hyperventilating so much that he couldn't control it. The exasperated breaths kept coming and coming and soon Yugi found himself kneeling on the floor, one hand supporting himself and the other against his chest. If he didn't calm down soon he'd pass out. That's when he remembered what he does in situations like this.

"H-home is beh-hind, the world ahead," Yugi begun. He tightly closed his eyes and his stuttered speech promptly turned into singing.

"And there are many paths to tread... Through shadow, to the edge of night... Until the stars are all alight... Mist and shadow... Cloud and shade... All shall fade... All shall... fade..."

By the time Yugi finished the song, he was steadily on his feet again and the vigorous shaking had subsided. He breathed deeply a couple of times to make sure he was completely stable, and continued his way to his bedroom.

He placed his hand on the doorknob when he froze. He looked down at himself and noticed that he was still in his boxers. He bit his lip and contemplated whether or not he should put some clothes on.

'_Well if he's still unconscious it won't matter,_' Yugi thought. '_But maybe I should put some on just in case..._'

He hurriedly made his way back to the living room. He walked around his messy sofa bed to the door on the right, opening it and sprinting down the stairs to the laundry room. He scurried about to look for a decent long sleeve shirt, since he didn't want the stranger to look at his scarred arms. He picked up and threw around various items of clothing until he found the shirt he was looking for: a black, long sleeved shirt with a hood attached. He hastily pulled the shirt over his head and pulled it down. He shivered at the coldness embedded in the shirt, since the laundry room was never warm.

Yugi skipped up the stairs, threw on his sweatpants lying on the floor and went back to his bedroom. He took hold of the door handle and breathed sharply before slowly pushing it open. He poked his head through the door and looked upon his bed. Yugi let his whole body slip in and close the door behind him silently. He stepped closer to his bed and to his luck, the boy wasn't conscious. It looked as if he hadn't moved all night. He appeared too still for Yugi's liking; he wondered if he was possibly... dead.

'_No, he is not dead,_' Yugi sternly thought. The rising and falling of the boy's chest confirmed his hunch.

Yugi breathed a sigh of relief and took a step closer to the boy. He looked him up and down and saw that none of his wounds were bleeding through the bandages wrapped around his body. He took a moment to himself to let the situation sink in. He help himself concentrate more, he went around his bed and picked up his desk chair and brought it to the opposite side of his bed. He set it down, plopped on top, and began thinking while staring at the unmoving figure in front of him.

The one thought that stood out more than the others in Yugi's mind was what will happen when the boy finally wakes up. More specifically, his reaction to seeing Yugi. It's not everyday that an ordinary person happens to stumble upon another living being that looks exactly like themselves.

Yugi ran through all the reasonable scenarios he could think of for when the boy wakes up: 1. The boy is filled with so much shock that he blacks out again. 2. The boy freaks out and immediately starts asking questions about why he is where he is and things like that. 3. He takes one look at Yugi, gets up and leaves as quickly as he can. 4. He wakes up but says nothing and stays.

Yugi hoped for the latter of the options, because he wanted the boy to stay. He had some questions he wanted to ask him, and he wanted to prevent him from getting himself into trouble.

Yugi's train of thought was cut short by the sudden movements of the stranger resting in his bed. Yugi sat still and watched as the boy began to toss and turn uncomfortably. The distress the boy was feeling caused the features of his face to distort. His eyes narrowed in frustration, his hands balled up into fists and his lips quivered. His head made a violent twitch and his breathing became short, heavy pants and sweat dripped from his forehead. Resentful moans escaped from the boy's mouth and his legs pulsated in spasms. His body kept making these abnormal actions and Yugi grew with concern. He didn't know what calms this boy, so he tried his own method of relaxation: singing.

Yugi stood up, placed his hand on top of one of the sweating fists resting on the side of the bed and brought his lips to the boy's ear. Taking a deep breath, he began to sing in a whisper.

"Home is behind... The world ahead... And there are many paths to tread..." Yugi felt the boy's fist unclench itself and saw that his face was beginning to soften, so he continued.

"Through shadow... To the edge of night... Until the stars are all alight..." Once the boy's breaths returned to normal, and his body was relaxing, he finished the song.

"Mist and shadow... Cloud and shade... All shall fade... All shall... fade." The last couple of words managed to soothe the tense muscles of the boy's body and his was at ease once again.

Yugi pulled away and sit back on his chair. He hadn't let go of the boy's hand and blushed slightly. Even though his eyes were closed, Yugi turned his face away so he wasn't looking at the boy.

Yugi was about to pull his hand away when the boy's hand unconsciously grasped onto his own. Yugi looked back with a confused expression. He moved closer and studied the boy's face. It wasn't anything like it was a few moments ago; it was soft, peaceful, expressionless. Yugi attempted to pull his hand away again, but this only caused the boy to tense and tighten his grip. Yugi decided to leave the boy to do as he pleases, even if he didn't know he was doing it. So he sat back in his chair, still holding the boy's hand and remained there until he was told otherwise.

To be honest, Yugi didn't mind that the boy was restricting him from letting go of his hand. It was quite peaceful and he liked it. Brushing the boy's soft hands with his thumb calmed both himself and the boy.

After what Yugi thought was long enough, he stood up and backed away slowly, stretching his hand so that it was still connected with the boy's. He gently slid his fingers out of the grasp and placed the boy's hand on the bed silently. He backed away until he reached his bedroom door and in one swift movement he was on the opposite side.

"I'd better change his bandages. They were looking a little worn out."

Yugi made his way to the bathroom with a smile on his face. He had no idea why he was so happy. Well, it was because of the boy obviously; but he didn't know _why_ the boy made himself so happy. Yugi, at the moment, didn't really care. The only thing he cared about was the well being of the angelic creature.

He opened the cupboard once he reached the bathroom and grabbed a few new rolls of medical wrap. He headed back to his bedroom and walked in without hesitation. He set the bandages on his bedside table and rested his hands on his hips. Which part of his body should he start with first? He didn't really want to change them in the first place, since he didn't want to stir the unconscious being, but he had to. He decided to go easiest to hardest; in this case, he would do his arms first, then his chest and finally his head. When the decision was made, he began to unwrap the bandages on the boy's arms.

The bandages didn't have a lot of blood in them, but they were dirty nonetheless. Yugi threw the ruined material on the floor, and began to wrap the wounded arm with the remaining wrap he used the night before. The rest of the wrap managed to cover the boy's arm, so Yugi threw the empty roll on the floor and stood up to begin unravelling the chest bandages.

It was difficult to say the least. Taking the wrap off was harder than putting it on. When half of the material was removed from the boy's body, Yugi realized that he could've just cut the bandages off instead of going through all this trouble.

"Oh, so now I decide to use my brain?" Yugi stupidly spat.

Yugi stopped what he was doing, grabbed the pair of scissors off his bedside table and began cutting the remaining bandages off. He set the scissors down and pushed the bloodied material out of the way to inspect the wounds.

Yugi was shocked at what he saw. The horrible gashes the boy had suffered were nothing more than mere cuts.

"How..." Was all Yugi managed to say as he traced the now basically healed wounds with his fingers. Yugi stared in amazement as he stood up to get a better view of the boy's chest.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed a pair of blood red eyes staring up at him.

Yugi's wandering hands finally came to a halt when a soft, tanned hand laid on top of his. Yugi froze and couldn't find himself to look up. His face was covered in an undeniable blush and he didn't want the boy to see him. So he kept his head down and avoided the boy's face.

Yugi blushed even more when the boy moved his other hand onto his cheek.

'_What's he doing?_' Yugi nervously thought to himself.

Yugi heart was racing and beginning to burn as the boy turned his face so that they were looking at each other properly.

The boy's eyes widened in shock when they roamed over Yugi's face. He removed his hand from Yugi's face while Yugi removed his hands from the boy's chest.

The boy sat up against Yugi's headboard, not blinking. Yugi backed up and sat on his chair, unblinking also. Both boys were too stunned to say anything so they sat in silence, staring at each other.

Yugi wasn't expecting him to be so calm and quiet. He understood that the boy would be extremely confused when he woke up, but he thought that he'd be drilling him with questions about what happened to him; but that wasn't the case.

A few more minutes of awkward silence passed; the boy eyed Yugi up and down several times and this made Yugi self conscious. Yugi blushed again and turned his face away from the boy's direction, avoiding any kind of eye contact.

Yugi was caught off guard when the boy decided to speak up.

"Who are you," he asked.

"I-I'm Yugi," Yugi answered.

"Where am I," he demanded.

Yugi turned his head slightly, but didn't look at the boy when he replied.

"You're in my b-bedroom," Yugi whispered, barely audible. The amount of silence in Yugi's room made him uncomfortable so he shifted in his seat.

"Why," the boy beseeched.

"W-well y-you were hurt so I decided t-to..." Yugi couldn't find himself to finish his sentence, since he thought it was obvious.

"I see," the boy said. "And why d-"

"Who are you?" Yugi suddenly blurted out, staring at the boy. He usually wouldn't cut people off like that, but it was bugging him so much so he took the first opportunity he had.

The boy looked at Yugi with wide eyes. No one ever has spoken to him like that before, and given what Yugi looked like, he thought he'd be a little more gentle with his tone of voice.

"Yami," the boy simply said.

Yugi didn't say anything after that. There wasn't much to say, but he had a feeling that this Yami person did.

"As I was saying, why did you decide to take me in?" He asked, a little more politely.

"W-well I didn't want you to bleed out so... I, uhmm, I took you in and cleaned your cuts."

Yugi didn't know exactly what to say. He wasn't sure if he should tell Yami that he cared about him, since it would just raise more questions he wasn't in the mood to answer; besides, Yugi doesn't know why he cares either.

"Thank you," Yami said softly. Yugi just nodded his head and got lost in his thoughts.

It felt like an hour when neither Yugi nor Yami said anything. Yugi didn't have anything to ask that would help the situation, but there was one thing that was bugging him. Why wasn't Yami leaving? Surely he'd feel a little confused and uncomfortable being in Yugi's room, not knowing what's going on. After another painful silence, Yugi spoke.

"Do you remember what happened?" He asked.

Yami looked at Yugi and it seemed as if he was concentrating. His eyes were narrowed and he thinned his lips. After a bit of thinking, Yami answered.

"I don't recall anything after that blow to my head."

Yugi began to explain everything that happened after Yami blacked out. All the while he was talking, Yami was listening to him intently. His eyes never left Yugi's, and Yugi had to look away a few times since he doesn't like looking into someone's eyes for too long.

When he finished his rant, he excused himself and quickly left the room to avoid another awkward silence. Yugi leant against his bedroom door and let out a shaky breath. He has never, in his whole life been in a more awkward situation. Not even the time when Yugi walked in on Seto and Joey having sex on their couch could top what he encountered a few moments ago. Sure walking in on two people getting frisky with each other is embarrassing, but when you're explaining a rather painful experience to someone who looks exactly look you is bewildering.

Yugi didn't leave his room to get away from Yami, he was actually going to get him something to drink.

Recollecting his thoughts, Yugi skipped down the stairs and went into the kitchen. He quickly grabbed a cup from the cupboard and filled it with ice cubes and ice cold water. He returned to his room and opened the door when he noticed that Yami wasn't in his bed. Instead, he was standing up, removing his head bandages.

"Uhhm, what're you doing?" Yugi nervously asked, walking towards Yami and setting the water on his bedside table.

"I'm making this easier for you," Yami replied, not turning to face Yugi.

"Oh, uhm, ok."

Yami finished removing the bandages and Yugi had him sit on his bed again. Yugi began rewrapping Yami's chest when something strange happened. The wounds inflicted on Yami began to expand. More blood was pouring out of them and Yugi was in complete shock. Yami however, was scared out of his mind. He looked down at his hands and noticed that they were bare.

"Where is it," Yami demanded in a painful voice.

"W-where's w-w-what," Yugi stuttered, his shock taking over his body.

"My ring."

"W-what ring?" Yugi was unable to move; Yami's blood dripped on his hands and down his arm and Yugi stared at it in a trance.

"It has to be here." Yami was beginning to panic. The more blood that emitted from his body, the more terrified he became.

Yugi just sat there, lost in his thoughts. He was so zoned out that he didn't notice how Yami was reacting. To put it simply, Yami was tearing the room apart; flipping Yugi's mattress, searching through his drawers and his closet. Yugi wasn't also aware of the hysteria Yami was experiencing.

"YUGI!" Yami screamed.

Yugi started and fell out of his chair. He came back to reality and looked up at Yami. He was an even bloodier mess than he was the night before. In fact, he looked worse.

"Y-yes?"

"Where are my pants?"

"O-oh they're, over there," Yugi said, pointing to the other side of the room.

Yami turned his head in said direction and jumped over the mattress to get to his precious leather pants. He hastily picked them up and started digging through the pockets. He seemed to have found what he was looking for, since he sighed a breath of relief.

Yugi watched him as he returned to his side of the room. Yugi looked at his hands and noticed that he was fiddling with a small object. It was covered in blood so Yugi couldn't exactly distinguish it.

When Yami slid the object on his ring finger on his right hand, Yugi realized that it was his ring he was talking about. Yugi watched Yami with curiosity as Yami waited for whatever he hoped his ring would bring.

Yami hung his head and took deep breaths. He closed his eyes and waited. Yugi watched all the while. He had calmed down by this point, so he stood up and stepped closer to Yami. His wounds were still bleeding heavily and Yugi grew worried.

"Yami, what're you doing?"

"Shh, let me concentrate."

Yugi did as he was told and stayed quiet to let Yami focus. Yugi couldn't help but think that whatever Yami was trying to do, it wouldn't work since nothing was happening.

Just as when Yugi had had enough, something strange happened. Yami's wounds were beginning to... heal. The large gashes shrank in size and the blood trailed up Yami's chest back into his body.

Yugi couldn't believe his eyes. The scene he just witnessed was impossible. Cuts were healed by being sewed together, not by some obscure witchcraft.

Yami kept his gaze on his chest until every last drop of blood re entered his body. He brought his hand to his head to check if the blood had returned to it's proper place; in this case, Yami's head. The wound on his arm had also healed, and Yami seemed pretty satisfied. Yugi, however, was completely flabbergasted.

Yami looked up, and notice that Yugi didn't look too well; his eyes were drooping and he looked pale. Yugi found enough strength in himself to stretch out a hand and touch Yami's chest, just to be sure this was real.

When he stroked Yami's chest, head and arm, Yugi stood back and fell to the floor.

Yami knelt down next to him and gave him a little shake, in hopes of waking him up. When Yugi did not regain consciousness, Yami proceeded to fix the bed he had thrown to the floor. Once it was situated, he picked Yugi up and laid him on the bed. He took Yugi's original seat and sat on his chair. He crossed his legs and placed a hand in his face, unsure of what to do.

"How am I gonna get myself out of this one?"

It was around six o'clock at night when Yugi finally decided to come to.

"You're awake," came a voice.

Yugi groggily opened his eyes and searched for the person the voice belonged to. He looked to his left and saw that Yami was lying right next to him.

"AHH," Yugi screamed, falling to the floor.

"You have a habit of ending up on the floor, did you know that?" Yami pointed out, peering over the side of the bed to gaze upon Yugi.

"Well if I wasn't being perturbed all the time maybe I wouldn't be," Yugi said, slowly rising to his feet, only to sit on his bed again.

Yami didn't respond; he just laid there with a soft, but determined expression on his face. He squinted his eyes at Yugi in concentration, trying to figure him out.

"C-can you stop looking at me like that?" Yugi asked, feeling uncomfortable with Yami's staring.

"I'm just trying to read you," Yami replied, not tearing his gaze away.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yugi wondered, although he had a feeling he didn't want to know.

Again, Yami didn't answer; he kept his eyes fixed on Yugi, looking him up and down.

Yugi felt more and more uncomfortable with each minute that passed. The way that Yami was looking at him made his stomach feel queasy; it was probably because the colour of his eyes were blood red, which isn't a very common eye colour.

"Care to explain what the hell happened to you?" Yugi questioned, after an intense amount of silence.

Yami blinked once and looked away. '_Damn,_' he thought. '_How am I supposed to get out of this?_'

Yugi waited for an answer but nothing came. Yami continued to stare at nothing and tried to think of a convincing excuse for Yugi, hoping he'd drop it and change the subject.

"Well?" Yugi said, growing impatient.

"I... I don't know what you're talking about," Yami lied.

"Oh you know bloody well what I'm talking about!" Yugi hissed, anger growing inside of him.

"No I don't think so..." Yami trembled, desperately trying to avoid giving Yugi a straight answer.

"Oh you don't do you?" Yugi boomed, now standing on his feet. "Well, let me refresh your memory. Here I was sitting right here on this chair, changing your bandages. I took one look at your chest and I see that those slashes you received were nothing more than mere cuts. So, me being me, I decided to inspect it, since it's not normal for something like that to happen. Then I feel your hand touch my face and I knew then that you were awake. You began pestering me with questions and I answered them," Yugi's voice began to die down by this point. "After a bit of silence I go and fetch you some water. I come back and you're out of bed, taking off your bandages. You said you were 'making it easier for me' for I brushed it off and began to re-wrap your chest. And then, out of nowhere, blood starts to seep out of your friggin chest! Your head and arm doing the same. While I sit there in complete shock you're trashing my room looking for your precious ring. When you found it you put it on and after a few moments your wounds begin to heal and the blood goes back into your body! After that I obviously pass out and now here you are, acting like you don't know what happened."

"I think you hit your head Yugi," Yami quietly suggested, looking away from him.

"I DID NOT HIT MY HEAD," Yugi shouted. "I KNOW WHAT I SAW, AND WHAT I SAW WAS NOT POSSIBLE!"

"And what did you see?" Yami asked.

"DID YOU NOT HEAR WHAT I JUST SAID?!" Yugi jeered, throwing his hands in the air out of frustration. "YOU HEALED YOURSELF WITH YOUR FUCKING RING, HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?"

"Yugi, calm down..."

"I WILL NOT CALM DOWN, I DESERVE TO HEAR THE TRUTH."

"You'll get it if you calm down," Yami said, a little annoyed with Yugi's tone of voice.

"FINE," Yugi roared for the last time. There was only one way he could calm down now, and that was to sing; but this time he would do it in his head. So Yugi closed his eyes and concentrated on the lyrics of the song.

When he finished, he opened his eyes and took a few deep breaths before rejoining Yami on his bed.

"Ok, I'm listening."

Yami took a minute to gather his thoughts and hoped he wouldn't say something that would make Yugi faint again, so instead, he decided to toy with him a little more.

"You're sure you wanna know?"

"Yes, I do," Yugi said eagerly.

"Positive?"

"Yes."

"100%?"

"_Yes._"

"Swear on your life?"

"YAMI!"

"Alright, alright, calm down."

"I _did_ calm down."

"You don't seem calm to me."

By this point, Yugi was fed up with Yami's behaviour. He got off the bed and rummaged through his drawers until he found what he was looking for. Yugi pulled out his cell phone and walked back to the bed, staring at Yami with a stern expression.

"Either you tell me, or I'll call the cops and tell them everything I saw your precious little ring do to you," Yugi threatened.

"They wouldn't believe you," Yami pointed out, not worried at all. He had his ways of keeping people quiet.

"You'd be surprised to see what people believe around here," Yugi informed.

"I'm not concerned," Yami assured him.

"And why's that?" Yugi questioned, not losing his composure.

"Because I have my ways of manipulating people," Yami replied, leaning against Yugi's headboard and crossing his arms.

Yugi didn't know what to say after that; he was too distracted by the way Yami looked when he sat the way he did. His arm muscles were visible with his arms crossed, as well as his abs. While Yugi was mentally drooling, Yami looked rather confused.

"Yugi?" Yami called.

Yugi snapped out of his fantasy and focused his attention on the attractive, tanned young man lounging in his bed.

"Y-yes?" Yugi quivered.

"Are you alright?" Yami asked, although not in a concerned voice.

"Yeah I'm fine," Yugi said. Truthfully, Yugi didn't know if he was alright.

He began to think back to his dream. The boy he saw there acted a little more sympathetic. He couldn't remember if his skin tone was the same as the boy in front of him; perhaps it was. But this Yami character seemed the complete opposite of the boy he saw in his dreams; Yami is stubborn and ignorant. This is not how Yugi pictured his confrontation with the mysterious being.

Yugi shut his cell phone and placed it on his dresser. He stepped closer to Yami and looked at him with curious eyes. Yami felt Yugi's uncertainty and made a confused face. Yugi locked eyes with Yami and moved closer, never leaving his eyes.

When Yugi was sitting back on the bed, still staring at Yami and Yami staring right back, Yugi reached out a hand.

Yami backed away a little, but not so much that Yugi was unable to have contact with his face. Yami couldn't deny that he wanted Yugi to touch him, but he doesn't know what Yugi's capable of. So he stayed put and let Yugi do as he pleased.

Yugi placed his hand on the once bloodied head, and stroked it. He kept his gaze on what he was doing instead of on Yami.

Yami stared at Yugi in confusion, not knowing what he was trying to accomplish.

Yugi, in fact, was trying to re enact his dream, to see if Yami would react the same way. Since Yami was being kept in the dark about Yugi's suspicions, Yami didn't do anything. So Yugi continued to stroke the side of Yami's face, until he figured it out.

Yugi waited in anticipation, hoping Yami would do what he wants him to do.

Just when Yugi gave up hope, Yami pressed his hand against Yugi's. Yugi was relieved at Yami's touch, but he didn't show it. He didn't want Yami to know that he was trying to see if Yami would do the things he did in his dreams. How pathetic would that sound?

Yugi kept his hand where it was, and so did Yami. Yugi didn't expect Yami to begin crying and kissing his forehead like he had done in his dream, since they barely knew each other. But he could always hope.

The two boys were locked in place, each one looking into the eyes of the other. While Yugi was searching for some sort of understanding from Yami, Yami's eyes were emitting a strong force of ambivalence. He had no idea what was going on, but his body did apparently.

Suddenly, Yami felt something form at the corners of his eyes. He was going to bring his free hand up to touch them, but his body had other ideas. No matter how hard Yami tried, he couldn't move his arm.

'_What is going on?_' He thought anxiously.

The salty substance left the eyes of Yami and rolled silently down his cheeks. Why was he crying? He didn't know; all he knew was that he was trying to be told something, but he didn't know what.

Yugi left Yami's eyes and instead rested on his cheeks. Yugi's eyes widened a bit, completely shocked that Yami did what he was hoping he'd do. But there was one last thing Yami had to do before Yugi could be convinced that his dream meant something: Yami had to kiss his forehead. Even though the odds were against him, Yugi was determined for this to work. He didn't know if he himself was doing anything that was making Yami react this way, but he had a feeling he didn't. All he could do now was wait and see.

Yugi's heartbeat began to palpitate as Yami moved closer to him.

'_Well, this is it,_' Yugi thought, closing his eyes.

Instead of feeling something make contact with his forehead, Yugi felt something brush against his lips. He opened his eyes slightly, and saw that Yami was in fact, kissing him. Yugi didn't react, since he didn't want Yami to stop, so he waited for Yami to stop. Unluckily for him, Yami wasn't stopping any time soon.

* * *

ok, to be honest i didn't like writing this chapter. i didn't know what i would do for when Yami woke up, so i just went with one of my options and went on from there

and i hate the ending. and how i described Yami. i wanted him to come off as a bit of an ass at first, making Yugi second guess his judgement on him, but it didn't really work out :$

i hope for the next chapter i can do a lot better. if any of you can think of something, let me know and i'll try and figure out a way to include it in the story.

bye for now!

p.s. ok, i know some of you may think that Yugi has stumbled upon Atem, not Yami, but i'll explain in the next chapter what's really going on


	8. Secrets

sorry i'm a little late guys! i had alot of feckin homework to do, along with three projects, studying for an exam and i wrote my OSSLT today. _all in one feckin week_. i have not been in a very good mood.

nevertheless, i finished the chapter, and boy is it a surprise. you'll find out some things about Yami in this chapter, and more about him in the next one.

**i do NOT own Yugioh** if i did, it'd be turned into a full out yaoi session each episode... :3

* * *

_Intro: Yugi doesn't know what he's gotten himself into. The little kiss he had with Yami did more than he could possibly imagine. By kissing Yami, he has unknowingly put himself in a situation he doesn't fully understand. Soon enough, he will learn what it really means to be with Yami..._

* * *

Yugi's body and mind was racing with various emotions: awe, confusion, bewilderment, admiration, amazement and shock. He couldn't believe what was happening. Yami was actually kissing him. But why? All Yami needed to do was give Yugi a little peck on the forehead, and only then would Yugi believe that he dreamt about Yami for a reason. But maybe it was much more than that.

Yami was, undoubtedly, enjoying himself. He enacted the kiss and he obviously was going to enjoy every second of it; whether or not he knew what he was doing.

Yugi on the other hand didn't know what to do; should he kiss back? Why shouldn't he? Didn't Yugi feel something when he brought Yami in to take care of him? Yugi would have to answer these questions at a later time, since he was busy being kissed by someone at the moment.

Yugi decided to close his eyes and kiss Yami back, since it would be rude to pull away.

When Yugi applied pressure into the kiss, his body felt like it had been shocked by static electricity; his whole body was given a tingling sensation, giving Yugi a more pleasurable experience.

"Hmmm, dopamine," Yugi chuckled, remembering that the chemical releases itself during times of pleasure.

"Hmm?" Yami murmured, not wanting to break the kiss.

"Dopamine," Yugi repeated, smiling at Yami's naiveness.

"Hmm?" Yami mumbled again, oblivious to what Yugi was talking about.

"Never mind," Yugi uttered, and continued to kiss Yami.

Yami didn't ask another question, and focused his attention on the little angel in front of him.

Yami nibbled on Yugi's lips, asking for permission. Yugi replied by parting his lips, granting Yami entrance to the inside of his mouth.

Yami extended his tongue and slowly began to explore Yugi's moist cavern, savouring the taste. He licked the roof of Yugi's mouth, sending chills down both their spines.

'_I didn't know one person could taste so good,_' Yami thought, proceeding to battle with Yugi's tongue.

Yugi fought back, although slowly at first. He got a taste of Yami, and he was bitter sweet.

Yugi explored every inch of Yami's tongue, swallowing every drop of saliva he produced. Yugi snaked his hand into Yami's hair, pulling him closer. Yami returned the favour by slipping a hand up Yugi's shirt, and the other wrapped around his waist.

Yami was now on top of Yugi, becoming the seme. Yugi wrapped his free hand around Yami's neck, all the while keeping his lips connected with Yami's.

Yami was now lying on top of Yugi, his grip being tight, in a protective kind of way. Yugi drew Yami closer, preventing him from escaping.

Their chests rubbing together, legs intertwining and breaths coming out in pleasurable grunts created the heat of the moment.

Yami was growing annoyed with the itching fabric scratching against his body, so he brought both of his hands to the hemline of Yugi's shirt and began to pull it off. Yugi didn't resist; he simply raised both hands above his head and let Yami remove it.

Once the piece of clothing was thrown to the floor, the two boys continued kissing; a little more rough this time.

Yami was battling for dominance over Yugi, his tongue tasting every part of the inside of Yugi's mouth. Yugi fought back just as hard, nibbling Yami's lips and occasionally his tongue.

They repeated their attempts of domination, each struggling for their victory.

'_Wow, he's strong,_' Yami thought, surprised that Yugi could go on for this long. '_I think he might actually win... No, I won't allow it. I never lose..._'

Yami let his inner challenger take over and wouldn't stop until he won.

Yugi sensed the sudden change in pressure and smiled to himself.

'_If it's a challenge he wants, then it's a challenge he's gonna get,_' Yugi seductively thought.

Yugi placed a hand to the back of Yami's neck, and the other around his waist. He dug his nails into the warm flesh beneath his hands, earning a moan from Yami. Yugi chuckled to himself, digging his nails further into Yami's sensitive skin.

"Ahhhh," Yami breathed, the pain turning him on even more. Yami could feel himself harden, and did his best to restrain himself from taking Yugi right there and then.

Wanting to explore more of Yami, Yugi took hold of Yami's neck and pushed his face into the pillow behind him.

Yami whimpered, the parting of their lips disappointing him. But Yugi made it up to him by licking his earlobe as lightly as he could; this earned him a pleasurable moan and goose bumps arising to the surface of Yami's skin.

Yami began to breathe in huffs and puffs; his heart burning with passion and his mind racing with endless thoughts. Not being able to take it any longer, Yami began to grind Yugi, hoping to get some release.

Yugi thought through Yami's actions; smirking to himself, Yugi brought both his hands to the back of Yami's neck, and lightly traced his nails along Yami's spine.

Yami responded by arching his back and hissing. 'You are such a tease,' Yami thought.

Yugi continued his relentless teasing, drawing circles on Yami's sweating back. Soon enough, his hands reached the bottom of Yami's back, and made one last unique pattern with his nails before sliding his hands under Yami's stomach to the waistline of his pants. Yugi pulled his pants off in one swift movement, and kicked them off the bed. Not caring if he was wearing boxers or not, Yugi put his hands back in their original position; one placed on Yami's neck, and the other around his waist.

Not letting Yugi have all the fun, Yami tilted his head down until his mouth found what it was looking for: sweet, pale, sweating flesh. Yami licked his lips before biting down into the soft skin. Yugi's reaction was to dig his nails even further into Yami's body, earning more moans from the boy on top of him.

Yami bit down until he drew blood, and licked away the coloured substance.

"You taste good," Yami chuckled.

Yugi didn't reply; he simply bit his lip and bucked his hips.

Yami decided to torture Yugi even more by grabbing both of Yugi's wrists, hold them above his head and give him little kisses along his collar bone.

Yugi tried to regain control of his wrists, but Yami was too strong and had him pinned where he was. Yugi stopped his constant struggles and let his body go limp. He doesn't usually like being taken advantage of; at least not in the ways he was taken advantage of. In this way, he doesn't mind because he's actually enjoying it this time; and he's enjoying it with the one he loves... or, at least he thinks he loves Yami...

By now, Yami had reached Yugi's navel. Surprisingly, Yami still had Yugi's wrists pinned over his head. Considering how small Yugi is, it shouldn't be a challenge; but Yami was finding it difficult to keep him in place. Not that Yugi was trying to get free, more like he was yearning for his hands to grasp onto something to keep himself stable.

Yami looked up at Yugi's face, and he could tell that he wanted to be let go. His eyes were squinted, he was biting his lip so hard that it started to bleed and the sound of heavy pants told Yami that he can't contain himself any longer.

Yami, being a merciless being, decided to remove his hands from Yugi's wrists and let him be.

Immediately after Yami did so Yugi flung his hands onto the bed and held the sheets in a tight grip.

Yami smirked to himself and went back to swirling his tongue around Yugi's navel. He closed his eyes and took his sweet time with his work. He took a deep breath and his naval cavity captured a very sweet smelling scent.

'_Mmm, strawberries,_' Yami realized, not noticing the aroma before.

Yami decided to move upward from his current position. He licked Yugi's stomach all the way up to his chest, and stopped when he reached his ribcage. Yami snuck his right hand under Yugi's back and grasped onto his neck, and wrapped his left hand under Yugi's waist. Yugi squirmed beneath Yami when he gently squeezed Yugi's waist; not because he was in pain, but because it tickled. Yami sensed this and was going to use that useful information for later.

Yami loosened his grip around Yugi's neck and rubbed small circles in the area instead. He must have hit a nerve because Yugi's legs twitched beneath him.

"Hm hm hm," Yami chuckled, squeezing the same spot which earned another twitch from Yugi's body.

"Mm, Yamiii," Yugi complained.

Yami complied to Yugi's complaint and instead wrapped his hand around Yugi's waist, joining the other.

Yami let both of them get comfortable before engulfing Yugi's left nipple without warning. Yugi let out a very deep groan and gripped the sheets tighter. The sound of sucking and slurping flowed throughout Yugi's bedroom, mixed in with the not so quiet moaning and grunts emitting from the two occupants.

Yami moved on to Yugi's other nipple, while sliding his left hand to reach out to Yugi's right hand and intertwine their fingers. Yugi gladly opened up his hand and let Yami's slender fingers grasp on to his.

Yami finished abusing Yugi's chest and found his way back to his lips. The same taste of sweat and the soft texture of the two lips brushed against Yami's, full of desire and need. Yami started out sloppy, gliding his tongue across Yugi's lips and biting down on the delicate body part. But once they both settled down, the kiss became passionate and full of meaning.

During their playtime, something was bothering Yugi's eyes, even though they were closed. He turned his head away to breathe in the oxygen he required and let Yami give gentle kisses to his neck.

"Yami, what's that light," Yugi asked, the beam growing stronger.

"Mm? What light," Yami panted, oblivious to the fact that his ring was emitting a strong source of light.

Yugi opened his eyes to see where the light was coming from. He looked to his right and noticed that the light was in fact, coming from Yami's ring.

"Yami, your ring," Yugi said with wide eyes.

"What about my ring?" Yami pondered.

"Look at it," Yugi suggested.

"I don't know why you're making such a big fuss ab-" Yami was stopped mid sentence when he realized that his ring was indeed going haywire.

Yami stopped attacking Yugi's neck and sat up straight, closed his eyes and mumbled an unknown speech as quickly as he could. When he opened his eyes he was shocked to see that the amount of light was not diminishing.

All of a sudden, Yami's body started to change. Not physically, but the colour of his skin, hair and eyes began to change in a wide range of colours. From tan to an ash black, albino white, blood red, bright yellow, deep blue and rosy pink. The colours wouldn't stop changing and Yami began to grow frustrated.

"Yami, what's go-"

"Be quiet Yugi, I need to concentrate," Yami ordered.

Yugi simply nodded and backed up in his bed; it seemed as if he was frightened to see what would happen to Yami if things did not go his way.

Yami got up from the bed and stood in the middle of Yugi's room; he spread his feet to shoulder width apart, rested his hands down at his sides and closed his eyes. He began to mumble the same thing he did before, although this time he was in the proper position.

Yami's features continued to change colour as he performed whatever he was doing, and the light from his ring grew brighter as each minute passed. When nothing significant happened after a few moments Yugi was becoming anxious; he wanted to help but he didn't want to intervene. He convinced himself that Yami's body would go back to normal once he finished doing whatever he was doing.

More moments passed and still nothing had changed; Yami's body was still going off and the light wasn't dying down. Right when Yugi stood up to do something, Yami's chanting grew louder and his eyes squinted; he balled his hands into fists and he rose a few inches off the ground.

Yugi stared in awe and backed up a little, unsure of what to expect.

Suddenly, Yami's eyes shot open and an obscure looking symbol appeared on his forehead. Yugi stepped forward to take a closer look. From where he was standing it looked like some sort of weird eye. But he couldn't examine it any longer because at that moment Yami was planted back on the floor, the light from his ring had vanished, the eye on his forehead disappeared and the colour changing of his body, eyes and hair stopped.

Yugi took a second to regain control of his eyes, since the bright light blinded him, and looked Yami up and down. He looked the same; his eyes were their usual crimson red and his blonde bangs and black mane with red tips came back. The only thing that was out of place was Yami's skin colour; instead of being a brown sugar tan, he was an albino white. Could the performance he gave have something to do with it?

Yami looked up from the floor to see a very confused and frightened Yugi sitting on the bed.

"Yugi?" Yami called.

"Y-Yami," Yugi reciprocated.

"Are you alright?"

"Y-Yami your... your..."

"My what?"

Yugi couldn't bring himself to say anything, so he raised a shaky hand and pointed directly at Yami.

Yami cocked his head to the side and looked down at himself. He noticed that he wasn't his usual attractive tan any more, but instead a very pale, snowy white; like Yugi's.

Yami widened his eyes in realization and slowly brought his face up to look at Yugi's.

"Yugi," Yami began, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. "I can explain."

* * *

"Yugi, don't freak out," Yami requested, raising his hands in defense.

"Oh, I-I'm not f-freaking out," Yugi stammered, clutching the side of the bed. "J-just really conf-fused."

"Then why are you shaking and stuttering?" Yami observed.

"N-no one knows w-why humans st-stutter," Yugi explained. "And I-I'm shaking bec-cause I'm c-cold."

"Yugi, I don't even know you and I know that isn't true."

"Exactly; y-you don't know m-me. So you have n-no right to tell me w-what I am and what I'm n-not."

Nevertheless, Yami was right; Yugi wasn't trembling because of the so-called cool temperature. He was frightened a bit yes, but he was also very confused as to what happened before with Yami and his ring.

A few moments of awkward silence passed, until Yugi decided to speak up.

"W-what was with your ring?" Yugi asked, curiosity hinted in his voice.

"I am not obligated to tell you." Yami explained.

"Well you just can't not tell me," Yugi argued. "Anybody who witnessed what I just did deserves to know the truth. Especially something that involves the colour changing of body parts, and the healing of wounds if I might add."

'_Damn,_' Yami thought. He had hoped Yugi would've forgotten about that, but obviously he hadn't.

Yugi stared at Yami with immense determination. You'd think someone who just climbed all over your body would tell you the truth when something as miraculous as Yami's actions took place.

"Yami, tell me," Yugi commanded in a serious tone, folding his arms across his chest.

Yami stared Yugi dead in the eye and tried to read him. For some strange reason he couldn't. He's always been able to read every person he's become close with; being unable to read Yugi was absurd and unacceptable. And Yami was going to get to the bottom of it.

Yami stepped closer to Yugi, keeping eye contact. Yugi shifted on the bed, becoming uncomfortable with both Yami's stare and state; his body was stiff as he walked, but his face was soft apart from his eyes.

Yami knelt on the bed and extended his hands to grasp onto Yugi's. Yugi retreated his hands, but Yami looked at him with certainty. Yugi glared back, rolling his eyes. Yami ignored Yugi's arrogance and proceeded with what he was doing.

Yami held both of Yugi's hands in his own, and brought his face so close to Yugi's that their noses were almost touching. He didn't really need to be this close, but Yugi was an acception.

Yami stared into Yugi's huge amethyst eyes before slowly closing his own. He kept his face level with Yugi's and gently squeezed his hands.

'_Oh god what's he doing now,_' Yugi thought irritably.

After Yami traveled his hands onto Yugi's forearms Yugi's heart skipped a beat; he hadn't realized that his scarred arms were exposed. Turning his head to look at Yami with fear clearly written in his eyes, he breathed a sigh of relief; Yami didn't open his eyes to look at the rough texture beneath his hands.

Yami squeezed his hands around Yugi's arms and he felt a tingling sensation. It spread from his arms to his torso, and then sprung frantically to the ends of his toes, fingers and his head.

"Mmmm," Yugi shivered, the unusual feeling causing him to twitch a little.

Yami ignored Yugi's movements and focused on his work. He wasn't surprised at what he saw; flashes of yellow, blue, green, pink, orange, purple, grey, teal and mahogany appeared before Yami's closed eyes. The only colours that didn't appear were red, black, white and brown. Relief washed over Yami as he opened his eyes and removed his hands. Before his arms lost contact with Yugi's body, Yami swore he saw a slight flash of red.

He also felt something else; rised skin to be exact. So Yami did the very thing Yugi was hoping he wouldn't do: look down at his arms.

Yami didn't get the chance to further examine the scarred wounds as Yugi quickly pulled his arms away, and hid them under the sheets.

Yugi could feel Yami's eyes pierce into his soul. He did, and didn't like the look Yami was giving him; it was fierce and powerful, yet comforting and sympathetic at the same time.

Yugi felt his face redden and avoided looking at Yami, twiddling his fingers beneath the sheets. Yami hadn't moved at all; his body was rock hard and his gaze never left Yugi's face. Too many thoughts were racing through Yami's mind, and he couldn't answer any of them.

'_He's not supposed to be like this,_' was one of them. '_How could this have happened?_' was another.

All at once the unanswered questions clouded Yami's mind so much that he couldn't think straight. One thought in particular stood out from the others. And that thought was: '_Is Yugi the one who would need saving?_'

Yami's eyes widened in shock when he realized what Yugi was. Yugi was the Blessed One.

Yugi peeked through his bangs to peer at Yami and noticed that he looked troubled. "Yami?" Yugi called. No answer. All Yugi got was a blank stare.

Yugi waved his hand in front of Yami's face in hopes of getting a reaction, but Yami stared right through Yugi's fingers and continued to gaze at him in awe.

"Yaaamiiii," Yugi tried again. Still no response. "YAMI!" This seemed to get Yami's attention as he flinched at the amount of volume Yugi projected in his voice.

"Y-yes?" Yami fumbled.

"Are you ok?" Yugi asked.

"I'm..." Yami trailed, unsure of what words to use to express the amount of confusion, fear and gratefulness he felt.

"You're what?" Yugi pestered.

"I'm just..." Yami tried again. Right now words were his worst enemy.

"You're just what?" Yugi nagged, impatience clearly hinted in his voice.

"It's just... I don't... How..." Yami's words were broken, and he held his head in his hands to try to comprehend the situation.

"Yami, what're you trying to say?" Yugi asked a little more gently.

Unsure of how to answer, as he knew he wouldn't be able to, Yami tore the sheets from Yugi's body and grasped onto his arms. "THIS," he shouted, looking at them with an extreme intensity and couldn't stop his body from producing the tears that fell down his face.

Yugi felt something drop onto his arm, so he looked down and saw a little droplet of water resting peacefully. Soon after a few more droplets landed on his arms, so he bent his head to look at Yami's face. Surely enough, Yami was crying. But why? Sure some people would feel sympathetic for Yugi if they caught a glimpse of his scarred arms, but they wouldn't cry over it. So why was Yami?

"Yami, are you alright?" Yugi questioned in a smooth tone. Again, Yugi did not receive an answer.

"Yami, if you don't tell me what's wrong, then I can help-"

"No Yugi, you can't help me!" Yami broke in, his voice being both aggravated and heartbroken. Yugi was taken aback by the aggressive response, by he didn't get a chance to protest when Yami continued talking.

"Why? Why does it have to be me? Why not Mariku or Bakura or even Seth! Why does it have to be me?" By this time, Yami was up off the bed, pacing around Yugi's room with a hand on his head. "Should I be happy? Oh sure I get to save a person's life but-"

Yugi's mind did a double-take at Yami's words. '_Save a person's life? Does me mean me?_'

Yugi began to get lost in his own thoughts as the sounds of Yami's rambling drowned out.

"-and I don't even know-Yugi? Are you listening to me? Yuuugiii."

Yugi didn't hear the call of his name when Yami spoke; he was too caught up in his thoughts to notice. He did, however, notice a flick to his shoulder. Yugi 'ow'd' and stroked his arm before turning his attention back to Yami.

"Sorry, were you saying something?" Yugi asked innocently.

Yami groaned in frustration at Yugi's short attention span. Of course he was talking! He was practically yelling when he was ranting on about who knows what.

"Did you hear anything I said?" Yami asked coolly.

"To be honest, no, not really," Yugi replied quietly, hanging his head to avoid looking at Yami's upset expression.

Yami closed his eyes and breathed in deeply keeping his composure. He would have to re-explain what he just rambled about, and in a way Yugi would understand.

"Listen Yugi," Yami began, Yugi raising his head at the sound of his soft voice. "I'm going to explain something very important to you, and I need you to try to comprehend my words, ok?"

"By comprehend you mean-?"

"Just try to make sense of what I'm saying," Yami bluntly stated.

"Ok."

"Alright, first of all, and I know you may not want to answer, I need you to tell me what happened to you," Yami started, sitting on the bed next to Yugi.

Yugi shifted his body to give Yami more room, and repeated Yami's words in his head.

'_What happened to me? Does he mean-?_'

Yugi realized what Yami was talking about and peered his eyes down at his ruined body.

His scarred arms were exposed clearly, his fresh markings standing out from the faded ones. Yugi trailed his gaze from his arms to Yami's face, and Yami nodded his head, letting Yugi know that he had to open up to him about his cuts from all those years ago.

Yami waited in anticipation, while Yugi became anxious. He didn't want to tell Yami what happened to him, even if it was crucial that Yami knew. Yugi didn't know Yami well enough, so he didn't know if Yami was just curious or if he actually cared.

"I-I c-can't," Yugi fumbled.

"Yugi you must," Yami pushed.

"W-why is it s-so import-tant?" Yugi stuttered, his anxiety beginning taking over his body.

"If you want to know the meaning behind my ring and who I really am, then you must tell me so I can explain why you're so significant," Yami explained.

Yugi looked at Yami's face with cautious eyes; it was serious, attentive and honest. His voice sounded sincere and full of truth. After much contemplation, Yugi made his decision.

"O-okay, I'll tell y-you."

Yami gave Yugi a warm smile, and Yugi felt his stomach tighten and a shiver travel down his spine. Yami looked impeccable when he smiled.

Yugi sat back against his headboard and steadied himself. He wasn't going to be enthusiastic when he spoke, since his past obviously wasn't a happy subject to talk about. But if he was going to reveal himself to a complete stranger, he was going to do it comfortably and on his own terms.

Taking one last glance at Yami who nodded in approval, Yugi began to speak.

"I w-won't go into detail, but I'll give you the just of it," Yugi explained.

"Take your time. As long as I know the reason, you won't have to explain any further."

Yugi smiled at Yami's kindness, but he was still a little skeptic about his behaviour. Yugi pushed those thoughts aside for now and continued speaking.

"I don't really remember what kind of kid I was like before my parents died," Yugi began. "But I've been told by jii-chan that I was a genuinely happy kid. I'd always be smiling and laughing..." Yugi trailed off at the thought of himself being a bouncy, energetic kid who didn't have a care in the world.

Secretly, Yami was picturing the same thing. Seeing his hikari (and he was pretty sure of it too since Yugi looked exactly like him) as a child who loved life and was carefree was soothing. It was horrible to think that a boy like Yugi was capable of such self loathing that he cut himself.

"But that's not the reason why I did it. When I was a couple years into school, I noticed that I wasn't really attracted to girls. I kissed my best friend at the back of the school when we were really young, and one of our classmates saw us and told pretty much everyone." Yugi's tone of voice was filled with hurt and anger. How could a child do such a thing? Sure the kid probably meant no harm, but still...

Yami's face suddenly hardened at the mention of someone else kissing Yugi. Yugi was his and no one else's! Sharing is not an option. Not in his situation.

"For countless days we were picked on and discriminated to the point where I couldn't take it anymore. So I..." Yugi cut himself short and hoped Yami understood. Yugi didn't really like speaking the words because they made him uncomfortable and awkward.

To Yugi's relief, Yami nodded his head, letting him know that he had what he needed. But Yugi also wanted to mention something else, in case it would help Yami in some way.

"After a few weeks Daiki and I got used to the taunting and shunning we received from our peers and ignored them." Yami guessed that 'Daiki' was the name of the boy Yugi was with, and took a sharp breath to keep his jealousy from taking over.

"One day while we were in sitting at our desks, the class bitch called us faggots as she walked by. We simply shrugged it off and ignored her. But someone had had enough, so he went up to her and slapped her and told her to fuck off. Well, he didn't really say that, but it was the general idea."

Yugi began to smile as he thought about Joey. He was the first and only person to stand up for him and Daiki. Mainly because he was gay as well, and because he didn't like it when people were treated so horribly.

"After that, Daiki and I became friends with Joey and we hung out all the time. He eventually introduced us to Marik, Ryou and Seto and we all became friends."

Yami's heart skipped a beat when hearing the names of Yugi's new friends. They sounded a lot like the names of _his_ friends...

"That summer Daiki moved to America because of his father's job," Yugi continued in a sad voice. "But as time went on I got over it and took the advantage of having the best friends I could ever ask for." Yugi weakly smiled as he finished speaking, and Yami took the liberty of smiling at Yugi and resting his hand on his.

"Thank you Yugi," Yami thanked. "And I'm sorry about what happened to you," he added sympathetically.

Yugi simply nodded in response and breathed in deeply. He looked around his room and noticed that it was fairly dark. He looked down at his bedside table and yelped at what he saw. It was nearing midnight, and Yugi had school the next day. If he skipped again he would raise unnecessary suspicions, and he didn't want that.

"I have school tomorrow!" Yugi exclaimed, making Yami jump. "I can't skip again... But he said he'd tell me about his ring and who he really is..."

"Yugi, if you have something important to do I can wait," Yami said.

"No, I want to know now! I'll be too distracted thinking about it if I don't know."

"Yugi, you need your rest and so do I. I can assure you I won't be going anywhere."

Yugi raised his eyebrows at Yami's response. Since when did he decide he'd be staying here? Well, he sort of has to, since he probably has nowhere else to go. And because he had a job to do. Nevertheless, Yugi didn't fully trust Yami, and leaving him in his home for a day made Yugi paranoid. He didn't want Yami to steal anything or wreck his house. He didn't know what he was capable of. But, Yugi did think of Yami as a kind person, and he seems trustworthy. Maybe he should let him stay...

"Ok, you can stay. But you have to sleep downstairs and abide by my rules," Yugi stated. "The sofa bed is already set up."

Yami whined at the new rules, but if he wanted to confirm his suspicions about Yugi being the Blessed One, he'd have to cooperate.

Yami nodded his head in agreement and headed towards the door. Before he left, he looked over his shoulder and asked one last question before leaving.

"I want to ask you one more thing Yugi."

"What's that?"

"Have you ever been physically harmed by another individual?"

Yugi froze at Yami's words; the answer was yes. He had been raped by a perverted drunken man, but he didn't want to mention it to Yami just yet. It was too personal.

"N-no Yami, I haven't."

Yami sensed that something was wrong, but decided to drop it and leave Yugi to rest.

* * *

i'll explain what each colour represents when Yami read Yugi in the next chapter, and Yami's whole situation about Yugi being the 'Blessed One'

cross your fingers that i'll update sooner!

peace out fothamuckas~


	9. Revealed

sorry i took longer than i should've! i lost some inspiration and didn't feel like writing, but thankfully i thought of things to say and surprisingly this chapter was probably the fastest i've written.

i'm getting a little lazy with my words, but i was tired and wasn't up to writing.

anywayyyy, here's chapter nine everyone. enjoy!

* * *

_Intro: Yami's more mysterious and conceded than Yugi thought. The events that occurred in Yugi's bedroom was both unique and peculiar and left Yugi to wonder what will happen next. Yami had promised Yugi that he'd tell him the truth about himself, but Yugi doubts him. Yugi doesn't fully trust Yami, but if he wants to get to know the man behind the ring he'd have to cooperate._

* * *

Yugi woke the next morning with a groan and annoyance. He had stayed up late the night before, but it was his own fault. Ok, it wasn't entirely his fault; he was a little occupied being climbed on and put through complete shock and confusion. Nonetheless, Yugi was very sleep deprived and didn't want to go to school. He knew he had to avoid being asked questions, but he felt so lethargic and weak that he thought about going back to sleep.

Reluctantly, Yugi pulled himself out of bed and scrounged around his bedroom floor to retrieve his school uniform. He carries his clothes with him to the bathroom and drops them on the floor so he could brush his teeth and wash his face. Once he was freshened up he pulled on his uniform and headed downstairs.

He turned on the kitchen light and walked to the fridge to get the milk, his cereal from the cupboard and a bowl and fork from a drawer. Yugi poured the contents into his bowl and began eating.

It wasn't until he heard a moan coming from the living room that he remembered that another being was occupying his house.

Sleeping away on Yugi's living room sofa bed was Yami, and looked quite distressed.

Yugi rolled his eyes and told himself he would focus on Yami when he came back home from school. He did not need any unnecessary distractions to keep him from learning about things he really couldn't care less about.

Once Yugi finished his breakfast, he checked to make sure he had all his school belongings and headed out the door.

* * *

Time ticked by very slowly for Yugi as he sat in his second period class.

Yugi sat quietly at his desk, a hand supporting his face as he listened to his teacher drag on and on about quadratic functions. When was he ever going to use this useless piece of information in his life? Yugi doesn't know what he wants to be when he grows up, but he's positive it won't involve being able to change 'standard form' to 'vertex form'.

Yugi sighed and lazily rolled his eyes to the left of him to look out the window. It was a cloudy day; the sun was hidden by the giant fluff balls and the sky was grey in colour.

'_I wish it would rain,_' Yugi thought. '_Always seems to calm me down._'

Yugi sighed once more and closed his eyes. As if to bug him, the image of Yami dominating him in his own bed sneaked it's way into Yugi's mind. Yugi scrunched his nose at the memory, and shook his head in an attempt to rid the image from his mind.

'Why'd I let him do that?' Yugi questioned himself. '_I mean sure yeah, he's attractive and all, but why didn't I pull away?_'

'_Because you like him you eejit,_' Yugi's unconscious mind suggested.

'_Nooo, I don't like him. I don't even know him! So I can't possibly like him... but I do feel something for him. Sympathy and care maybe but... uuuugh I just don't know!_'

Yugi was too preoccupied debating his feelings for Yami to notice his name being called.

"Yugi Muto," the teacher called.

Every student in the class turned their backs to stare at Yugi; he was shaking his head vigorously with his eyes squinted shut, unaware of the eyes peering at him.

"Yugi Muto," the teacher called again, in a hard voice.

It was the tone in her voice that made Yugi stop his head-shaking and open his eyes. He instantly became aware of all the pairs of eyes looking at him like he was from a mental hospital, and shifted uncomfortably under the gaze.

"Yugi," the teacher called for a third time.

"Y-yes?" Yugi stuttered.

"Are you alright? Do you need to go to the nurses office?"

"W-what? N-no," Yugi replied.

"Are you sure? I saw you shaking your head and I wasn't sure if you had a headache or some other type of illness."

"I-it's alright, I'm fine," Yugi reassured.

The teacher simply nodded her head and turned her back to the students, focusing her attention on the problem written on the blackboard.

Yugi received smirks and giggles for his strange behaviour, while Yugi ducked his head and blushed.

When all the students faced the front of the classroom, Yugi peeked through his bangs to look at the time.

"Half an hour," Yugi whispered to himself. "Just half an hour and this class is finished."

'_Pfft yeah, but you still have another class before you get to eat._'

'_Ooh shut up,_' Yugi scolded his brain, before lifting his head and facing the blackboard, pretending to care.

* * *

Third period was no better than the last; Yugi was caught daydreaming again and was scolded at for not paying attention. But now it was lunch time, and Yugi was more relieved than ever.

He grabbed his lunch from his locker and began to walk down the hall towards the back doors of the school. He had given much thought as to where he would sit today, and he decided that he owed his friends an explanation for not being at school the day before.

Yugi scanned the school grounds for his friends, and found them sitting at their regular lunch table, chatting and munching away with each other. Yugi tightened his grip on his backpack and lunch, took a deep breath and began walking to his friends.

Before Yugi was half-way to the table, Joey called out to him.

"Hey, Yugi! Over here!"

Yugi's heart skipped a beat and hiccuped. Why was he so nervous? He knew what he was going to tell his friends about why he wasn't at school the day before, so he shouldn't be so jittery. He had to be convincing, especially since Joey is the most suspicious.

Taking a few breaths to calm himself, Yugi continued onward and sat down between Joey and Ryou. Both boys gave Yugi a warm smile and Yugi felt at peace. He hoped he'd be able to eat lunch with his friends without being interrogated and worried about.

"So Yug, where were ya yesterday?" Oops, spoke too soon.

Yugi looked up at Joey and saw the curiosity and a slight hint of worry in his eyes. Keeping his composure, Yugi answered him.

"Oh, I um- I got a cold from taking the trash out last night so I stayed home." Looking back up at his friend, Joey seemed satisfied with his answer so he nodded his head and continued eating. Although Yugi knew that Joey knew that something was up; he was grateful that Joey decided to drop it for once.

"You're the lucky one," Marik spoke up. "I'd give anything not to come back to this hell hole."

"School is important Marik," Ryou pointed out. "You need an education to get yourself somewhere in your life."

"Yeah well, what if I don't wanna go anywhere in life? What I just wanna lay in my bed all day everyday and never wake up? That sounds good to me."

"Wouldn't we all," Joey agreed.

"Oh c'mon guys. Don't you ever want to travel the world and try new things? Meet new people and have a well paid job?" Ryou suggested.

"Yeah, if all of us were brainiacs and billionaires maybe," Marik sighed.

"Oh don't be such a bloody wanker, Marik," Ryou retorted.

Marik simply rolled his eyes and rested his head on the table.

Yugi eyed Marik up and down; he didn't seem like himself. Pondering the thought, Yugi turned to Ryou.

"Is Marik ok?" he whispered.

"He's been like this since yesterday. I keep asking him what's the matter but he refuses to tell me," Ryou sighed. "I don't like seeing him like this."

"Neither do I," Yugi complied.

Yugi looked at his friends; they all seemed to be unusually quiet, even Joey. He wondered what had happened to make his friends act so strangely. Yugi was too tired to take action on the matter; so he decided to join the silence and eat his lunch until the bell rang.

* * *

Last period was as hectic as it could be, and Yugi wasn't fazed by the amount of noise the class had conjured. He could only stare up at the front of the classroom and watch helplessly as his teacher failed to take control over his class.

Gazing up at the clock, Yugi watched the minutes tick by until the final bell rang through the entire school, signalizing the end of the school day.

Yugi's walk home was tiresome and seemed longer than it was. He yawned multiple times and he felt exhausted, even though he didn't do much throughout the day.

Soon enough, Yugi was back behind the doors of his beloved game shop. Before heading up the stairs, Yugi flipped the shop's sign from 'Open' to 'Closed', as he didn't want to deal with any people at the moment.

Yugi trudged himself up the stairs leading to his humble home. His nonchalantly threw his backpack on the living room floor and tore off his uniform jacket. Before he knew it, Yugi was face-to-face with the individual inhabiting his home. Yugi's heart flared and he jumped back from surprise. Clutching his chest, Yugi looked up to see Yami staring blankly at him, face expressionless. He was wearing nothing but his boxers from the night before, with his hands behind his back.

"D-don't do that," Yugi panted.

"I apologize for my talent of moving quietly," Yami replied.

"W-well, just try to make some noise so I don't have a heart attack," Yugi suggested, standing up straight.

Yami didn't respond, but nodded his head in understanding and made no effort to move towards Yugi.

Regaining his energy and breaking the silence, Yugi asked Yami how he was doing.

"I'm doing quite fine, and yourself?" Yami returned.

"I'm alright." Yami gave Yugi a soft smile and crossed his arms over his chest.

"So," Yugi began a little nervous. "Are you going to tell me?"

"Tell you what?" Yami questioned innocently.

Yugi narrowed his eyes and huffed; he was not in the mood to play Yami's silly games.

"You know bloody well what," Yugi spat. "And I'm not in the mood for stupid answers either, Yami. I don't know what happened yesterday but my friends didn't seem all that happy and I guess it sort of rubbed off on me. So give a guy a break and start explaining... _please_."

Yami seemed have not been moved by Yugi's attitude towards him. He's used to hearing attitudes similar to Yugi's; he lives around it twenty-four seven in fact.

"It seems you do not seem to be in the best mood, so if it helps lift your spirits I will tell you what you want to know," Yami said softly.

"Yes, thank you," Yugi breathed. He was a little bit more excited than he was a few moments ago; hopefully Yami's explanation will rid him of his confused mind.

Both boys entered the living room and sat on the sofa bed that was still laid out. Yugi wondered how long Yami had slept and if he had eaten, but he would worry about that later. Right now, the only thing he was concerned about was what Yami had to say.

When they were both comfortable, Yami spoke up.

"So, what would you like to know?"

"Well, the first thing I'd like to know is what the hell is up with your ring," Yugi asked.

"If you would like to know the meaning behind why it lit up the other night, and why it made my body change there are some other things you need to know first."

"Alright then, I'm all ears."

Yami took a deep breath before continuing. What he was about to tell Yugi was going to be confusing and bewildering for the little one, but he had the right to know.

"Ok, well, as you may know, I'm not a typical teenager. I come from a tremendous long line of mystical beings, called yamis."

"Yamis?" Yugi pondered. "But, your name is Yami. Why would you be named by something that's like a different race?"

"Yes indeed, my name is Yami, my last name Atemu. Most people where I come from are called by their last names, since their first name is Yami. But I did not wish to be called by my last name, since I found it strange and unnecessary."

"So, everyone where you come from, their first name is Yami?"

"Yes, every last one of them."

"But, why?"

"It is simply one of the many ways my world operates. One of them being, every individuals first name being Yami," Yami explained.

"That is strange," Yugi said to himself, more than to Yami.

"Yes, it is pretty abnormal," Yami chuckled. "But it is merely how it works."

"Furthermore, we Yamis, are the alter-ego of our hikari."

"Hikari?" Yugi repeated. "What does that mean?"  
"A hikari is simply the light side of its opposite."

"It's opposite?" Yugi was beginning to become confused, and Yami could hear it in his voice.

"Yes Yugi, its opposite. For example, you are my hikari."

Yugi's eyes widened at Yami's response and turned his head in disbelief. There was no way that he was Yami's so called 'hikari'.

"It makes sense Yugi; I know you may not want to believe it, but it is true. Yamis and hikaris are opposites; that's the only thing that makes them different. What makes them the same is what they look like. Yamis and hikaris look exactly like each other, or equally similar, like I am to you."

Yugi turned his face back to Yami and let the words sink in. It did make sense, somewhat; Yami _did _look a lot like himself, excluding the extra blond bangs in his hair.

"O-okay." Yugi wasn't sure if he was believing Yami or not, but he'd have to go along with it if he wanted answers.

"Do you know any more yamis?" Yugi questioned.

"As a matter of fact I do," Yami replied. "And some of them are my friends. And I think that your friends are their hikaris."

"What?!" Yugi exclaimed. There was no way that his friends were Yami's friend's hikaris. There was just no way.

"Yes Yugi, I believe they are. I saw a picture of you with your friends and I noticed some striking similarities between them and my own friends. Your white-haired friend looks almost exactly like my own silver-haired friend, Bakura. Bakura may have some more spikes on his head, and his eyes are more of a deep mahogany colour, almost black, but they look the same nonetheless. And your tanned friend looks a lot like mine, Mariku. Mariku is a little bulkier and his hair may be wilder, but they do look similar. And then there's your tall, chestnut-haired friend. He looks exactly like my friend Seth, but his hair is a little longer. And then there's you and myself."

Yugi couldn't believe what he was hearing; there is a possibility that there are other people out there that look like his friends. He didn't know whether to be excited or frightened. He could probably meet the people Yami described as his friends if he asked, but he didn't know if he wanted to. He wanted some proof yes, but he couldn't deal with any realism right now.

"So you're telling me, that there are people who look like my friends?"

"Yes Yugi, I am."

"That's impossible."

"I know it may seem very bizarre and idiosyncratic, but it is true Yugi."

Yugi sighed in defeat, as he didn't want to discuss the topic any longer.

"So um, what does this have to do with your ring?"

"Every yami is giving a certain item to wear. I carry a ring, while others have things like necklaces, earrings, bracelets, anklets and so on. Each item possesses a certain type of power. The power is the same, but it changes corresponding to the bearers emotions. If a yami is angry, then the power within their item feels the emotion coursing through their body, and turns into a darker power. The yami can choose to use the power, or wait until they have calmed down to use it to keep others safe."

"What do you mean by that? 'Keep others safe'?"

"Well, there have been some cases where some yamis have caused extreme damage to cities and to people because they couldn't control their emotions. The power within the item cannot be controlled when its bearer is under distress. The item may act on its own, with or without its bearers command."

"That sounds unfortunate," Yugi muttered.

"It is very unfortunate. But thankfully, most yamis have control over themselves and there hasn't been an incident like that for several thousand years."

"Several thousand years?" Yugi gasped. "How long have you guys been roaming around the earth?"

"Since 3000 B.C.E.," Yami recalled.

"That was well over five thousand years ago! That's insane," Yugi exclaimed.

"I know we have been around here for a very long time, but I can assure you we have all protected looked over the people from that time on."

"How long have you been around here?"

"About the same time our race was created," Yami nonchalantly confessed.

Yugi gaped at Yami when his words were spoken; Yami was over five thousand years old? How can that be? Debating with himself whether or not he'd ask Yami more about himself, Yugi focused on his original question.

"Going back to your ring, why did it light up while we were-" Yugi couldn't bring himself to mention what they had done a few nights back. He still had not figured out why he hadn't protested to Yami's actions, but he'd think about that later.

"Oh um, well, yamis are meant to search the earth for their hikaris," Yami began, a slight blush creeping on his face. "It could take a week, or as long as a few thousand years. That is why we live for so long: to find our hikaris. Now," Yami's voice became slightly shaky at what he was about to reveal. "There is a certain prophecy mentioned within our peoples history."

"What does the prophecy say?" Yugi interrupted.

"According to the prophecy, it is said that one hikari is what we called the 'Blessed One'. The Blessed One is a special type of hikari, because it possesses both the personality of itself and its yami. Both light and dark. Once a yami has found their hikari, their item begins to glow. But once the Blessed One has been found, the yamis item glows immensely..." Yami drifted his gaze from Yugi's eyes to the bedding his was placed upon.

"A-are you saying that I-I'm the Blessed One?" Yugi fumbled, completely in shock.

"I cannot know for sure, but it is a possibility," Yami murmured, not wanting to believe it.

Neither of them spoke for a while; they were both wrapped up in their own thoughts about the information revealed. Then Yugi remembered something.

"Yami, does your ring give you special powers?"

"You mean when my wounds healed by themselves when I placed the ring on my finger?" Yami suggested.

"Yes, like that."

"Yes Yugi, the items give its yami a different type of power. My item lets my body heal itself. Other items can influence the elements, read people's minds, make a yami fly, things like that."

"Oh, that sounds exciting," Yugi pitched in.

"Yes it is, but it can also be dangerous. Anything can go wrong if a yami makes a measly mistake."

"Wow, your world has a lot of ups and downs," Yugi mentioned.

"Hm hm, yes it does. But we have been taught how to use the items appropriately, so we don't cause a natural disaster."

"I see. And, why did your body... um, change colour? Is tan not your natural skin colour?" Yugi queried.

"No, my natural skin colour is like yours; white and pale. Each ring can change the colour of the outer surface of a yami's appearance: eyes, hair, skin, even finger and toes nails."

"So basically you can look like someone you're not?"

"Well, it sounds a little degrading when you say it like that but, yes, I guess you could say so."

"Ok so, to sum this all up: you're my yami, I'm your hikari and I may or may not be the Blessed One. A hikari is the light side to their yami's. Every yamis first name is Yami, but are called by whatever their last name is, apart from you. Your ring has multiple powers and you can use them whenever you want. Your race has lived for five thousand years, which I'm guessing means you're immortal. When a yami has found their hikari, their item given to them lights up. You guys have been taught to use your items so that you don't cause ungodly events from taking place, and my friends may or may not be the hikaris to your yami friends."

"Basically," Yami sighed.

"Hmm, that's a lot t-oh wait, another thing," Yugi pointed out. "What were you chanting while your body was changing colour?"

"Oh, um, well, sometimes the power in the item goes out of control like I said before, but in my case it was non-threatening. For some strange reason my ring went haywire and I couldn't control it. I tried to quickly perform a spell on it, but it didn't work obviously. So, I tried it the traditional way; or as I like to call it, the 'stop-being-a-lazy-ass-so-get-up-and-do-it' spell. The spell required for a yami to stand shoulder-width apart, hands at our sides, eyes closed and complete silence. That way we can concentrate easier to perform the spell. As a result, whatever seems to be going wrong returns to its normal state."

"Oooh, well that clears that up."

"Do you understand now Yugi? Why you care for me so much?"

"How-how do you know that?"

"Come on Yugi, it's not that hard to tell," Yami said as if it was the most obvious question.

"Y-yeah, well..." Yugi couldn't say any more, so he blushed and looked away.

"It's okay, Yugi. Because I care about you too."

Yugi's heart began racing and his mind an endless train of thoughts. '_He actually cares about me?_' was the main one.

"Not just because you're my hikari, but also because of what happened to you. And I promise I won't let anything else like that happen to you again."

Yugi looked back up at Yami; his face was soft and welcoming, his eyes pure and honest. Should Yugi trust him? He had opened up about himself and who he really was, just like he said he would, so why shouldn't Yugi trust him? Decided to go with his head, Yugi nodded.

Yami placed a hand on Yugi's shoulder and reassured him that he wasn't lying. Hearing the words leave Yami's mouth, Yugi nodded his head once more and gave Yami a smile.

"I believe you Yami. And, thank you," he added, blushing once more.

"It really is no problem Yugi. I promise you I'll look after you, even if I'm not with you physically."

Yugi made a face that said he didn't understand, but he had enough information thrown at him this evening so he was going to ask Yami more about it tomorrow.

"Thanks for this Yami. I'll be upstairs if you need me. And feel free to eat and drink anything. And use some of my clothes, if they fit," Yugi offered.

"Thank you for your hospitality. I won't be much of a bother, so don't worry about me."

Yugi smiled at Yami and got off the sofa bed; he picked up his backpack, headed upstairs to his room, with a smile on his face and hope in his heart.

* * *

there you have it. another chapter done. took me longer than expected, but i didn't feel like writing and lost some inspiration. but luckily i listened to some music and got some inspiration back :D

also, i'm writing another fic, but i'm not gonna be posting it. it's just for my own amusement and benefit. that's part of the reason why i wasn't as quick to post this chapter; because i was working on another fic.

well, i hope this chapter was satisfying for you guys, even though i took longer to post it.

i may take a break for a while to work on my other fic, so don't be surprised or upset if i don't post anything for a while. so don't say i didn't warn you!

goodnight~


	10. What Could Go Wrong?

_Intro: Yugi is feeling a bit more chipper and excited about having Yami as company. But he is also confused and somewhat concerned. There are still a few more questions Yugi has for Yami, and he's not sure how to handle the new information given to him. He is indecisive about whether or not to tell his friends about Yami, but seeing how they are connected to Yami in some way, Yugi thinks they have a right to know._

* * *

Yugi woke up feeling happy the next morning. He was full of energy and he couldn't help but smile. Last night's events had put Yugi into an unusual bouncy mood, and the reason being Yami, of course. Yugi is still a little bit skeptic about what Yami told him; about how his friends were the hikaris of Yami's friends. Maybe Yami just said that to make Yugi feel like he wasn't the only one.

'_Nooo,_' Yugi thought stupidly. '_I'm probably not the only one. But I'll need some proof if he really is telling the truth._'

Yugi noticed that he woke up half an hour before his alarm clock was meant to go off; but seeing as he was in a too good mood he really did not care.

Seeing as he had some time to kill, Yugi made his way downstairs into the kitchen. He looked to his left and noticed that Yami was sound asleep, lying on his chest, with the blankets covering the lower half of his body.

'_He's so peaceful looking when he sleeps,_' Yugi thought.

Letting his curiosity get the better of him, Yugi walked silently over to Yami's sleeping form and knelt down so that he was face-to-face with the calm being.

Yugi eyed Yami's face so that he could recognize every little detail: his soft baby-like skin, light pink lips, narrow yet broad eyes, small round nose, thinly-haired eyebrows, long eyelashes... and that's when he saw it: a small, unnoticeable from a distance scar placed upon the right-hand side of Yami's forehead.

"Hmph," Yugi sighed. "Never seen that before." As Yugi continued to examine the worn out skin, he didn't notice that Yami was peeking through his eyes and looking at him.

"Enjoying the view?" Yami mumbled.

"Oh, uh-uhm..." Yugi could feel the blood rush to his cheeks as he pulled away from Yami.

"I was just-uhm, just-how-uhm, how'd you get that scar?" Yugi fumbled.

"Hmm? Oh this?" Yami realized, sitting up and pointing at his forehead. "Oh, I got this from when I was a child."

Yugi could barely control himself when he listened to the sound of Yami's groggy morning voice. It was so attractive and tempting.

"Yugi?" Yami spoke, noticing that Yugi was unresponsive. "Yugi?" he asked again.

"Hmm, what?" Yugi asked innocently.

"Are you alright? You look a little pale. Well, given how pale you are I guess you couldn't tell if you were feeling sick or not."

"Oh I uhm, I'm still a little tired but I'm supposed to be up this early so..." Yugi trailed off.

"Oh, well as long as we're both up would you like help with anything?" Yami offered.

"No thanks. I think it'd be a little rude to let a guest do some house work," Yugi explained.

"Are you sure? It really is no trouble at all, and I don't mind," Yami said.

"No, I couldn't. It wouldn't be right."

"Well we're friends are we not? And friends help each other don't they?"

"Friends?" Yugi repeated. Well, if friends kiss each other and almost have sex then yeah, 'friends' is an appropriate term for the situation.

"Well, I would hope we are. We know each other's names and a little bit about each other, so I guess we could qualify as friends," Yami analyzed, giving Yugi a polite smile.

"Oh yeah, I guess we are then," Yugi confirmed, returning a smile.

"Great. So, is there anything you would like help with? Clean around a bit, make some food, although I'm not sure how... Or-"

"Whoooa there Yami," Yugi interrupted. "You don't know how to cook?"

"Well, I've spent all my years searching for you so I haven't really settled down anywhere too long and learn how humans go about their lives."

"That's a shame. Would you like to learn how?" Yugi suggested.

"You mean, you'd teach me how to properly heat and freeze different food items?" Yami asked, a little surprised.

"Well yes. I mean, I'm no expert but I'm good enough as to not give myself or someone else food poisoning. I may teach you after school if I'm up to it."

Yami gave Yugi a big smile before answering. "That would be great Yugi, thank you."

Yugi blushed and looked to the floor. "You're so polite," he whispered, barely audible.

"Are you not used to being thanked and talked to in a courteous manner?" Yami asked.

"O-oh, n-no I am. My jii-chan is more of a joker, but he's polite nonetheless."

"What about your friends?"

"Well, Ryou seems to be the only one who was gifted with manners. The rest of them wouldn't know manners if it hit them square in the face."

"Quite the friends you have," Yami admitted.

"Once you get to know them you forget that they act like animals most of the time," Yugi said with a smile.

"Sounds a lot like my friends. Their personalities include insanity, psychopathy and craziness."

"You're serious?" Yugi said with uncertainty.

"You'd better believe it," Yami said, lying against the back of the sofa.

"Quite the friends _you_ have then."

"You have no idea."

The two looked at each other after that. Each taking in how the other is friends with the said friends they both described.

'_Is he trying to scare me?_' Yugi pondered. '_If he is it's not working..._'

'_I can picture Yugi meeting them now,_' Yami thought, a smile creeping on his lips.

Yugi couldn't help himself but smile as he saw Yami wearing that smirk. Blushing yet again, Yugi kept the smile on his face but looked away. Remembering that he had places to be, Yugi snapped his head up and looked to the clock above the fridge in the kitchen. It was already 7:05 in the a.m. and he was going to be late if he didn't hurry.

"Oh, crap! I need to pack my food!" he yelped, scrambling through the kitchen cabinets.

Yami watched in amusement while Yugi scrounged around and ran into things, like the island and hitting his face on a cabinet door.

"Oooouch," Yugi whined, irritated at himself for being distracted.

"Would you like any help, Yugi?" Yami finally spoke up.

"Oh no no no, it's alright. I got everything," Yugi quickly said, stuffing different types of food into his bag.

"If you say so," Yami responded with a chuckle.

Before Yugi could slip outside and be on his way to school, Yami called out to him.

"Yugi wait!"

Yugi paused when he was half-way out the door and turned around.

"Yes Yami?"

Yami got out of bed, still in his boxers, and walked up to Yugi.

"I wanted to give you something before you go," he announced, pulling off his ring and handing it to Yugi.

"W-why do you want to give me this?" Yugi asked.

"To keep you safe. It's like I said: 'I promise you I'll look after you, even if I'm not with you physically.'"

"How do you know it'll keep me safe?"

"Because Yugi, no matter who wears it, either a yami or a hikari, it will always keep you safe."

"Are you sure?" Yugi questioned. "I mean, it seems like you're the one who would need it more than I do. I mean, I don't want you to bleed out again."

"That is not a problem Yugi," Yami replied, giving him a soft smile. "I am completely healed. I won't be ruining any of your house hold items with my blood."

"How do you know?"

"When a yami wears their item for a specific amount of time, whether it be a few hours, days or even weeks, the power within the item stays with its bearer. If I were to cut myself, the wound would heal after a few moments because the power from my ring is coursing through my body; it stays with me."

"So, if I were to get hurt, would the power from the ring heal me as well?"

"Hmmm, it's hard to say," Yami said in all honesty. "I have never tried it before, since I have only found you a few days ago. I also have never encountered a yami who gave their item to their hikari to try."

"Are you saying that you're not completely sure if it would to protect me or not?" Yugi asked a little frightened.

"No Yugi, I'm not completely sure. But there's only one way to find out."

"And what exactly am I to do?"

"Put it on."

Yugi looked from Yami to the golden ring in his hands. Would it work? Would the ring protect him like Yami thinks it will?

_'Well, I better put it on if I wanna find out._'

A bit hesitant, Yugi took the ring in his left hand and slowly slid it on his ring finger on his right hand. He was expecting for some sort of pain to come afterward, as the ring was not his property and he has no idea how it would react with himself wearing it. To his wonderful surprise, no pain came. Nothing came for that matter.

Yugi made a confused look, and Yami could tell that he looked uncertain.

"Were you expecting something to happen?" he asked.

"W-well, maybe. I mean, it's not an ordinary ring, Yami. I thought it would've given me some sort of pain when I put it on. But apparently not."

"I have never done this before, so I did not know what would happen. If it were to hurt you, I would not want you wearing it. But seeing how it has not reacted in any way, I guess you are safe with it."

"If you say so," Yugi said while turning his hand to examine the ring further.

After a moment's silence, Yami spoke up.

"Don't you need to be somewhere Yugi?"

"Oh right! I need to meet up with Joey to go to school. Well, I'll be home around three if I'm lucky," Yugi called before walking out the front door.

"I'll be waiting," Yami said as Yugi disappeared from his sight.

* * *

It was breaking dawn by the time Yugi met up with Joey at the corner of Joey's street.

"Mornin Yug," Joey greeted, yawning afterward.

"Morning Joey," Yugi returned.

"Haaaa," Joey yawned again.

"Still not used to being up this early Joey?" Yugi asked with a smirk.

"No matta how many times I get up dis early I'm neva gonna get used to it," Joey replied.

"We should get going before we're late," Yugi suggested, beginning to walk down the sidewalk with his shaggy-haired friend.

"So Yug, anything new with you these days?" Joey asked after a few minutes of silent walking.

Yugi opened his mouth but quickly shut it. He was going to mention that Yami was staying with him, but that would only raise questions from Joey that Yugi didn't really want to answer.

"Yug?" Joey called, looking down at Yugi with suspicion clearly written on his face.

"Hmm? Oh uhh-uh uhm nope, nothing new," Yugi answered as convincingly as he could.

"Oh, well, how's da shop? Have ya not ruined it yet?"

Knowing that Joey was joking, Yugi gave him a sharp look before replying.

"Nope, not at all. Not a single scratch on one precious Duel Monsters card, no random spray paint on the windows and no robberies."

"And how's business?"

"Well I've been too tired from school and preoccupied with my activities that I have no time to open the shop and socialize with customers," Yugi replied honestly.

"What kind of activities?" Joey asked curiously.

Yugi hesitated for a moment, but found a suitable excuse.

"Gramps wants me to sort out three boxes of Duel Monsters cards. I haven't even started. I've only looked into the boxes and their full as can be."

"Me and da guys can help ya if ya want," Joey offered.

"Oh, n-nooo, you guys don't have to. I'm sure you guys have more important things to do," Yugi rejected, his voice shaking.

"What's more important than Duel Monsters Yug? Absolutely nothin," Joey finished before Yugi could interject.

Even though Yugi knew better, this complex card game was an important part of his life. He didn't know what he would've done if Solomon hadn't introduced him to the game. All those long hours of Yugi sulking around his house turned into a very intense game of Duel Monsters with his friends, or spending a large amount of time sorting and organizing his deck until it was perfect. So far, Yugi is undefeated.

Yugi and Joey continued to walk in silence until they could see the top of their school from a distance.

"So Yug," Joey began. "How're things with ya?"

Yugi looked up at Joey, curious. Why would he ask him that? Joey would usually tell Yugi himself what was wrong, even when Yugi didn't know it.

"Fine," Yugi answered, trying to choose his words carefully.

"Nobody's buggin ya are they?"

"Not since the end of last year."

"So dere's no one else who's given ya trouble?"

"Why do you ask Joey?"

"I'm just concerned about cha is all. With Marik actin the way he is for some reason-"

"What is with him?" Yugi cut in.

"No idea. Ryou keeps askin him but he won't tell em anythin."

"I think we should focus more on him than me right now, don't you think?" Yugi proposed.

"I suppose..."

"Good. We'll talk to Marik at lunch and see if he's willing to open up."

They walked along, and before they reached the school Joey noticed something out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey Yug, where'd ya get dat ring?"

Yugi stopped where he was and looked up at Joey. He then looked down at the hand that was gripping the strap of his backpack, and there, on his right ring finger, was the ring that Yami lent to Yugi. Thinking quickly, Yugi gave Joey a suitable lie.

"Oh, uhm, gramps let me have it. He gave it to me when I was a kid when he came back from his trip from Egypt. I thought I'd lost it but I found it a few days ago."

"I see the ol' man had great taste," Joey replied, examining the piece of jewelry.

"Yupp. And he still does," Yugi said, giving his friend a smile. Joey smiled back and the two kept on walking.

Yugi didn't really have a chance to have a good look at the small object, so he took the opportunity to take a look now. He slid the ring off his finger and brought it up to his face. It was gold with a triangular base. An Egyptian looking eye was in the centre of it, and also some sort of red gem in the pupil.

'_I'll have to ask Yami where he got this,_' Yugi thought, placing the ring back on his finger.

Soon enough, the two boys were in the school, going to their lockers and heading off to class.

* * *

Lunch came rather quickly that day. Yugi had no new lessons; just review sheets for upcoming tests and assignments. In Yugi's opinion, he'd rather do four more new lessons than know that he has future tasks to do.

Now, Yugi would not want to be anywhere else than at his lunch table with his annoying, loving friends.

"I'm tellin ya Ry, if ya don't get out once in a while and not have ya face glued inside a textbook or whateva da hell you read you're gonna end up bored with ya life."

"Don't be absurd Joey," Ryou said. "I do believe that I'll be where ever I want to be, regardless of whether or not I am enjoying my life."

"So ya don't care if ya spend the rest of your days cooped up in ya house, readin?"

"If I enjoy what I am doing I honestly do not care."

"C'mon Joey, leave Ryou alone," Yugi cut in. "Ryou can go and do whatever he wants with his life."

"Thank you Yugi," Ryou said in a pleased tone.

"Even if he ends up alone and all he has is his giant library of books."

"What the bloody hell is so bad about books?" Ryou complained in an annoyed voice.

Yugi simply shook his head and continued to eat his chicken fried rice. As Joey kept pestering Ryou about how he reads so much, Yugi noticed that Marik was quieter than usual. He had his head resting on his forearms with his eyes closed. He could be sleeping, but Yugi knew him better than that. Besides, Marik only sleeps during class.

Yugi placed the lid back on his rice container and slid it in his bag. He looked up at Ryou across from him, and he was still arguing with Joey. Seto was watching Joey, eyeing his face in a lustful way. He always liked the way Joey looked when he was riled up. He did not speak, but that was usual for Seto. He usually never participates in group conversations; he just sat cross-legged with his arms folded over his chest and would ask himself why he's friends with these people.

Seeing how his friends were clearly distracted, Yugi took the chance to see if Marik was willing to tell him what was wrong.

"Marik?" Yugi whispered. No answer. "Marik?" Yugi asked again, shaking Marik's elbow. Marik's eyes slowly fluttered open, revealing that he had slight bags under his eyes. He lifted his head up and blinked a couple of times before yawning. He used his right hand to wipe the sleep from his eyes and use his left to hold his face. He turned in Yugi's direction and gave him a very tired look.

"Tired?" Yugi asked.

"Slightly," was Marik's answer.

"Are you alright Marik?"

"Of course I am," Marik said unconvincingly.

"Marik, you know you don't have to lie to me," Yugi reminded him.

"I'm not lying Yugi," Marik replied exhaustedly, his voice cracking.

"Marik," Yugi stated.

Yugi gave Marik a look that said 'stop lying and fucking talk to me', but in a sympathetic way. Marik stared at Yugi a while longer before answering.

"I've been mopey lately cause of this fucking hell hole."

"Well we know that, but what's bothering you?"

Marik mumbled an answer, but it was too unclear for Yugi to understand.

"What Marik?"

"I said my dyslexia is ruining my fucking life."

Yugi was taken aback by the comment. He knew Marik was embarrassed and very secretive about his dyslexia, but he didn't know that it went so far as to ruin his life.

"How's that?" Yugi asked cautiously, trying not to sound too stupid to realize what the problem was.

"It's really bringing my grades down because I can't fucking read anything properly and it's really stressing me out. I haven't been sleeping because of it and no matter what I do I just can't get over it."

"I can't really say that I understand what you're going through because I'd be lying, but I can say that if you keep practicing you'll get better."

"What if it doesn't get better Yugi? What if it just keeps getting worse and worse until the point where I just don't wanna have to deal with it anymore?"

"What do you m-." Yugi took a second to comprehend what Marik said, and narrowed his eyes when he understood.

"No Marik," Yugi replied in a serious tone. "You're not gonna kill yourself because of this."

"Well why not?" Marik began, his voice cracking from trying to keep his tears from flowing down his face. "It seems like the best solution."

"Marik that's never the solution," Yugi pointed out.

"How do you know? Once you die all your problems go away cause you're not alive to live with it anymore," Marik debated.

Yugi narrowed his eyes at Marik, unsure of what to say to convince him that suicide accomplishes nothing but have your loved ones mourn over you. As a last resort, Yugi thought of something that might help Marik forget about his problems.

"Marik, do you wanna come over after school?"

Marik looked at Yugi with uncertainty, but was too tired to argue any further.

"Sure why not."

Yugi smiled at him, his plan a success. Although Yugi was going to introduce Marik to Yami, Yugi was unsure of himself. Should he show Marik Yami? How would it affect Marik? Yami would not be surprised of course, with the whole 'Yugi's friends being the hikaris to Yami's friends' situation, but Yugi wasn't certain about what would happen. Would he be putting Marik in danger somehow? Over thinking too much, Yugi pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and focused his attention to the two boys still bickering at each other.

"Would you stop bugging Ryou about his books already Joey?" Yugi asked.

"What're you talkin about? We already finished talkin about that," Joey explained.

"Oh, then what're you arguing about?"

"Ry's just being unreasonable," Joey said, gesturing to the white haired boy across from him.

"Being unreasonable about what?"

"Oh just drop it would you?" Ryou pleaded, clearly annoyed with the conversation.

"But-"

"I said drop it!" Ryou exclaimed. Joey threw his hands up in defense and shut up at once. Joey then laid his head down in Seto's lap and closed his eyes as Seto stroked his hair. Just as he was getting comfortable, the bell rang.

"Next time that things rings, I'm rippin in off dat wall and throwin it at the principal."

* * *

The walk home to Yugi's house was silent and slow. Yugi could not think of one thing to say that would bring Marik's mood up, so he hoping that the presentation of Yami would get his mind off things.

They reached the Kame Game Shop, and Yugi unlocked the front door to let them inside. Yugi then locked the door again, and did a quick check to see if anything had been damaged or was out of order. When he found nothing wrong, Yugi lead Marik up the stairs to his home. Yugi opened the door a crack and peeked inside to see if Yami was in sight. Once he was sure that Yami wasn't there, he pushed the door open and walked inside.

Yugi told Marik to put his bag anywhere he wants, he really doesn't care. Yugi looked around and wondered where Yami wandered off to. Surprisingly, the pull-out bed was placed back into the sofa with the cushions on top.

"I'll be right back Marik," Yugi told his guest.

"Kay," was Marik's answer.

As Marik took a seat on the sofa Yugi went upstairs to investigate. He looked into the bathroom first; he didn't see Yami, but he did notice that everything was very clean. The room smelt of Lysol and Yugi could not think of a reason why Yami would do this.

'He was probably bored,' Yugi concluded. He walked out of the bathroom and checked his jii-chan's room before his own. A quick look to the left and right, Yugi found nothing. Closing the door behind him, Yugi went to the last room that Yami could possibly be.

Yugi pushed open his bedroom door and peered inside. Low and behold, there was Yami, standing under Yugi's skylight with his eyes closed.

Being sneaky, Yugi tip toed silently over to Yami and stood behind him. Yugi brought his hands up in front of him and pushed Yami slightly on the shoulders.

"Yami!"

Yami immediately opened his eyes and fell to the ground, his hand over his heart.

"Yugi! You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"He he, sorry," Yugi apologized, helping Yami off the ground.

"What're you doing in here anyways?" Yugi asked once Yami was back on his feet.

"Well I went exploring around your house and I found myself in here. I noticed that you had a skylight, so I figured I'd take the opportunity to suck in Ra's warmth."

"Ra?" Yugi repeated.

"Yes Yugi, Ra. The Sun God?"

"Oh right yes yes yes, I knew that," Yugi said, blushing at his stupidity.

Yami simply smiled at Yugi, which caused Yugi to blush even more and look down at the floor.

"Do I make you uncomfortable Yugi? Because if I do then I may leave," Yami said.

"Oh no no no, you don't," Yugi quickly spat out. "It's alright, you can stay here."

"I just do not want to disturb you with my presence."

"You don't disturb me at all. It's actually the other way around."

"How is that?"

"W-well, you see-"

"Yugi?" a voice called from downstairs.

'Thank god,' Yugi thought. "I'll be there in a minute Marik!"

"Marik?" Yami repeated.

"I hope you don't mind, but one of my friends is going through a rough time so I invited him over to get his mind off things."

"That was very nice of you Yugi. And it is no trouble to me."

"Good. Now co- wait, shouldn't you put some clothes on first?" Yugi suggested, gesturing Yami's body.

"Would your friend mind if I walked around like this?"

"I-I don't think so. But-"

"Then I shall go like this," Yami said, smiling while walking out of the room.

"I don't think so."

Yugi ran after Yami, stopping him when he got to the stairs.

"This is how it's gonna work," Yugi began. "I'm gonna tell Marik that I have something to show him, and when I say so you'll come down the stairs okay?"

"Whatever you say," Yami agreed, leaning against the wall.

"Thanks."

Yugi left Yami where he was and skipped down the stairs.

"Marik? Could you come here please?"

Marik lazily got up from the sofa and made his way over to Yugi.

"Yes Yugi?" he asked tiredly.

"Now, I don't want you to freak out, and I know it's going to come as a bit if a shock, but you were going to find out eventually and I don't-"

"Yugi what is it?" Marik cut in.

"You have to promise me not to freak out Marik," Yugi asked. "And you can't tell the others."

"Alright alright I promise."

"Ok then. Yami?"

"Yami?" Marik pondered.

Very slowly, Yami walked down the stairs half naked, with his hands behind his back and stood at the bottom of the steps.

Yugi gestured to Yami, and Marik turned his body to see what Yugi was talking about.

Marik's eyes were like saucers, and his mouth could have hit the floor if it opened any farther.

"Marik, this is Yami Atemu."

* * *

hope y'all enjoyed chapter 10! i told ya i'd be a little late getting this chapter up; but now it is finished and you can stop your worrying. i haven't forgotten about it, i just have writers block sometimes

until next time!

happy mothers day!~


	11. An Old Friend

_Intro: Yugi has taken a big risk by showing Yami to Marik. Not knowing about the consequences, Yugi tries his best to keep Marik under control while he's examining Yami. Yami is not fazed what so ever about the surprise visit, since he knew he'd be meeting them sooner or later. While Yami is having fun with his new play toy, there are unknown presences lurking in the shadows, keeping a very close eye on him..._

* * *

"Marik, this is Yami Atemu," Yugi said.

Marik did not say anything, didn't even flinch. He just stood there with his mouth gaping open and his eyes began to water from staring for too long.

Yami smiled politely and held out his hand. "Hello, Marik. Nice to finally meet you." Marik didn't tear his gaze away from Yami's face when he reached forward with a shaky hand to grasp onto Yami's. Yami smiled wider, while Marik narrowed his eyes in confusion and tilted his head to the side. Yami retreated his hand and placed it behind is back and Marik set his down at his side.

Yugi nudged Marik in the arm but Marik didn't respond. "Marik stop staring," he whispered.

"Oh I'm sorry that I can't tear my eyes away from someone who looks exactly like you!" Marik whispered angrily, still staring at Yami.

"Well can you try?" Yugi whispered back.

"Fine."

Marik began to turn his head away but kept his gaze. Finally, Marik managed to keep his eyes away from Yami's face and instead on Yugi's. He gave Yugi a 'wtf is this' kind of look, and Yugi returned a look that said 'I don't know deal with it'.

Yami stood there, looking at Yugi and Marik with a smirk on his face. Yugi noticed this out of the corner of his eye and called him up on it.

"What're _you _smirking at?" Yugi asked.

"Well it seems to be that Marik here is Mariku's hikari," Yami replied in a know-it-all tone.

'_Oh great, here we go,_' Yugi thought, annoyed. Now Marik will have to sit through Yami's yapping and try to comprehend what he's saying.

'_Oh well, he was gonna find out one time or another. The others will too eventually, but it's easier to go one at a time._'

"Yugi what's he talking about?" Marik asked his friend, taking a step back from Yami.

"C'mon and sit on the couch Marik. He has a lot of explaining to do."

* * *

It took over an hour and a half for Yami to re-explain everything he told Yugi. It wouldn't've had to take so long, but with Marik's interruptions and constant questions it took forever.

"So you can really change what colour your body looks like?" Marik repeated in an eager voice.

"Yes," Yami answered.

"That's pretty awesome. And you can do magic and heal yourself and live forever?"

"Yes yes and yes," Yami replied. "How did my ring treat you Yugi?" Yami questioned before Marik could repeat the same thing again and again.

"Oh, uhm, it was fine yeah. It didn't bother me all day and it didn't react at all," Yugi recalled, looking at the ring still placed on his finger.

"That is good to hear," Yami said, giving Yugi a smile. Yugi smiled back and glanced at Marik. He was biting down on his lip to prevent himself from laughing.

"And what do you think is so funny, Marik?" Yugi demanded, narrowing his eyes.

"Oooh nothing," Marik innocently responded, looking away from Yugi's eyes.

Yugi rolled his eyes and turned back to Yami. "There are some other things I wanna ask you."

"Anything."

"Well, I think it'd be better to discuss it while we're cooking."

"That sounds g- wait, we?" Yami repeated, puzzled at Yugi's suggestion.

"I told you I'd teach you how to cook after school today, didn't I?" Yugi reminded him.

"I did not expect it to be so soon," Yami confessed. "I thought you would have some other important tasks to do first."

"Like what? Do the laundry, sort cards and clean my room? I most definitely do not think so. As long as you're here Yami, you're gonna be taught how humans live their lives. Or how I live mine, at least."

Yami thought this through and smiled before nodding his head in agreement. "Thank you Yugi."

"No problem. You're welcome to help cook too, Marik," Yugi called to his friend.

"No thanks Yug. I'm not much of a chef type of person. I think I'll just watch tv."

"Suit yourself. Well, I guess it'll just be me and you then. Hope you don't mind."

"I do not mind at all Yugi."

"Great. Let's get started then."

* * *

"Whoa whoa whoa Yami, not so high!"

"I'm sorry I'm sorry. Ugh, how do you turn this infernal thing off?!"

"Here, just push this down."

Yami was currently using a hand-held mixer to blend the cupcake mix together in a steel bowl. He had the power on too high and the batter was splattered on the kitchen counter and on both Yugi and Yami's faces. Yugi managed to turn the device off, but some, if not none of their batter ruined the surfaces of their faces.

"Are you guys ok in there?" Marik called from the living room, acting like he's been through this situation a thousand times.

"Yeah we're good in here Marik," Yugi called back. "He's taking this better than I thought," he mentioned to Yami.

"It seems so."

"I guess he's distracted enough."

"Distracted?" Yami repeated, confused.

"Yeah, I was hoping to get his mind of things. And it looks like it's working so far," Yugi explained, beginning to clean up the kitchen counter.

"Was I your distraction?" Yami asked, helping Yugi with the clean up.

"Basically. I'm sorry if it feels like I've used you, but I was planning on showing you to my friends one time or another. I don't wanna have them all come at once, so I'm going one at a time."

"When are you going to present me to the others?"

"I'm not sure. The weekend maybe? Better sooner rather than later."

"I would say so."

"I just hope that they'll all react the same way Marik did. Well, besides the staring and constant interruptions, but I guess that's normal. It's not every day that someone meets a person who looks remotely similar to their friend," Yugi smiled and sighed, cleaning the last bit of batter from the counter.

"Are you alright Yugi?" Yami asked, concerned about Yugi's tone of voice and the way he said it.

"It's just... I don't know. It feels like I've met you for a reason, and I just don't know what that reason is," Yugi explained, turning towards Yami and taking the initiative to look into his eyes.

"I have already told you Yugi. You and I met because we are supposed to. It is my life's mission to find you, and I have," Yam reminded him.

"I know but, it feels much more than that. Like I met you for some higher purpose..." Yugi trailed off, looking at the bowl of chocolate batter.

"Well, when you figure it out you let me know," Yami said, placing a hand on Yugi's shoulder and smiling.

"You'll be the first," Yugi agreed, smiling back.

All the while they were talking, Marik was turned around and staring at them from the living room sofa. He rolled his eyes at the scene and turned his attention back to the tv.

'_Oh Yugi, you make it way too obvious..._'

Both boys used a t-towel to get rid of the gooey cake mix left on their faces before going back to work.

"So I guess we should continue with your cooking lesson then, huh?" Yugi suggested.

"I am not so sure. I do not want to ruin what we are trying to make," Yami said, being the little pessimist that he is.

"Oh don't say that," Yugi encouraged. "You've been doing fine. All you did wrong was having the mixer on too high, that's it."

"But-"

"Ah ah, no buts. We are going to move on and continue. So no more self-loathing and pessimism, alright?"

Yami was about to rebuttal, but he simply nodded his head and faced the counter, smirking at Yugi's assertiveness.

"Ok, so-"

"Uhm, Yugi?" Yami interrupted.

"Yes?" Yugi replied, turning to face Yami.

"You have a bit of, uhm..." Yami began.

"I have a bit of what?"

"Here, let me-"

Yami brought his hand up to Yugi's cheek and used his thumb to wipe away some cake batter from Yugi's face. Yami didn't look too sure about what to do with it, so he decided to lick it off. Yugi was flustered and couldn't help but stare at the way Yami was devouring his phalange.

"Got it all off there Yami?" Yugi asked, laughing a bit.

"I think so," was Yami's reply, savouring the taste of the chocolaty goodness. "Very sweet and... and..."

"Chocolaty?" Yugi finished for him. Yami nodded his head and took one last lick before returning his attention to the steel bowl.

"So, what is it we need to do now?" he asked the little one.

"Oh well, since I think that you mixed the batter quite enough, we can place those little cupcake liners into the trays, pour the batter in and then put it in the oven to cook," Yugi answered.

"Sounds easy enough," Yami confessed.

"With what I've seen tonight I think it'll be interesting," Yugi disclosed.

"We'll see about that."

The next couple of minutes were amusing to say the least. Yami had no idea what the ladle was and thought it was some sort of dangerous weapon, so he threw it across the room and emitted a gold-looking ball of light from his hands onto the kitchen utensil, which melted it. Yugi was both astounded and amazed.

"Uhm, Yami, we sort of needed that," Yugi said to his fear-stricken friend.

"I apologize. I have never seen an object like that before and I did not know if it was safe or not," Yami shakily conceded.

"If it were something dangerous I would tell you beforehand Yami," Yugi advised. Yami made a face that said 'I promise I won't do it next time' and took a seat at the kitchen table, while Yugi dug through his kitchen drawers to get two big spoons. Once he found some, he brought the bowl of batter with him and placed it on the table along with the spoons, liners and trays which were already there.

"Ok, just so you know Yami, none of this stuff is dangerous. Not even the spoons," he added, when Yami widened his eyes at the pieces of metal.

"Do you want to help, Marik?" Yugi asked his friend.

"What're you doing right now?"

"Pouring the batter into the-" Before Yugi could finish Marik had jumped over the sofa and landed in a seat across from Yami.

"-trays."

"I'm ready whenever you are," Marik said in an eager voice.

"Lemme just get another spoon and then we'll start."

Yugi turned around and returned to the kitchen drawers to retrieve another spoon. Once he found one, he took a seat next to Yami at the table.

"Ok, so, what you need to do is scoop some of the batter from the bowl and place it in one of the cupcake liners, once they're in the trays," Yugi explained to Yami. Yami nodded his head, showing that he understood, and he began to place the liners into the trays. He was having a bit of trouble, as he would pull apart multiple liners instead of one.

"Excuse me, Yugi? How do you do this?" Yami asked, holding the liners in front of Yugi.

"You just pull them apart Yami," Yugi answered in an obvious tone.

"I know, but they are not coming out one by one."

"Hmm, it might be because your hands are too soft," Yugi thought.

"My hands are too soft?" Yami repeated, dumbfounded by the explanation.

"I used to have this problem all the time when I cooked with my jii-chan. My hands would always be too soft to pull the paper from the others. It's like removing a piece of paper from a pile of papers. I wasn't able to do it, so my jii-chan suggested licking my thumb and then trying. After that, the paper came off no problem."

Yami just stared at Yugi, his face expressionless. He didn't know what to say, so he glared over at Marik to see if he knew what Yugi was talking about. Marik, however, was a little preoccupied with eating the batter off his spoon to notice his glare. So he turned his attention back to Yugi.

"So... I am required to lick my thumb if I want these things to come apart?" he asked.

"Basically," Yugi replied in a cheery tone.

"Alright then."

Yami brought his thumb to his mouth, with Yugi staring at him. Being the little bugger that he is, Yami decided to be artistic with his little task at hand. Instead of just licking the base of his thumb, Yami took his sweet time to completely devour it and wrap his tongue around it, looking Yugi straight in the eyes. Yugi blushed insanely, and looked away to calm his erratic breathing. Marik, on the other hand, looked as if he couldn't contain his laughter any longer.

Yugi was able to slower his heartbeat, and sat up. Instead of looking at Yami, he faced Marik; but the view wasn't any better. Marik leered at Yugi and gave him a wink. Yugi gave him a sharp glare, clearly fed up with his behaviour. Marik simply smiled and shrugged his shoulders. Yami seemed amused with himself, so elbowed Yugi.

"Is this good enough?" he asked, taking one last lick of his slender phalange.

"Y-yes that's good enough," Yugi replied, trying to keep a straight face.

"Let's see if it works then, hmm?" Yami suggested.

"Y-yeah sure," Yugi quickly agreed, tearing his eyes away from Yami's.

Yami was able to peel out one paper liner and placed it in one of the holes in the tray; feeling satisfied with himself, he crossed his legs, folded his arms over his chest, smiled and nodded in approval.

"Uhm, Yami?" Yugi laughed. Yami looked at Yugi in confusion. "You put it in upside-down," Yugi pointed out, pointing at the liner that Yami placed in the tray.

Yami frowned at the sight, and hastily turned it right-side-up to avoid any more embarrassment. He pouted when he laid back in his chair, which only caused Yugi and Marik to laugh at him.

"Do not laugh at me!" Yami said in an angry and sad voice.

"It's ok Yami," Marik reassured, still laughing. "I'm sure that many people don't know which way the liners go in."

"T-that's r-right Yami," Yugi chuckled. "It's ok, really."

"Then why is it that you still laugh at me?"

"That's what friends do! We laugh at each others' mistakes!" Marik elucidated.

"That is not what my friends do when we make a mistake," Yami said in monotone.

"Well, what do your friends do then?" Yugi asked, dying down his laughter.

"To put it simply, they strap one another down in a chair, attempt to claw each others' eyes out and bleed them out," Yami reminisced.

Yugi and Marik had stopped laughing, and looked at Yami like he was a madman. Seriously? Claw their eyes out and bleed them out? Is Yami trying to scare them?

"Y-you're not serious, are you?" Marik asked, his voice cracking slightly.

"You had better believe it," Yami said in an important sounding tone.

"Well, you don't fool me Yami," Yugi confessed. Yami looked over at his little one with a straight face, and cocked his head to the side.

"That's right Yami. You don't scare me, and I don't see why you need to."

"I am not trying to frighten you, Yugi," Yami construed. "I am simply giving you the truth."

"Whaaatever. You still don't scare me."

"Suit yourself."

All three boys continued to place the cupcake liners into the trays in silence. Every once in a while Yugi would take a quick glance at Yami to see if he was alright. He sounded pretty grave when he was explaining what his friends do when one of them did something wrong. He wondered if Yami wasn't proud of his friends and felt that they had no reason to be spoken so greatly of. Considering it as a more personal matter, Yugi left the topic alone and continued with what he was doing. Unfortunately, Marik thought it was a good idea to bring it up anyways.

"So Yami, what else are your friends like?"

Yugi looked at Marik and mouthed 'don't', but Marik shrugged his shoulders and turned to Yami, who still hasn't answered yet.

"You don't have to answer that Yami," Yugi assured him.

"It is quite alright Yugi, I do not mind," Yami said. "You remember how I told you that my friends are the yamis to your friends Marik?"

"Yeah I remember. Very strange," Marik commented.

"Yes, it does sound very idiosyncratic to a human. And that is the perfect word to describe my fellow companions."

"Just how... different, are your friends Yami?" Yugi wondered.

"Where do I begin," Yami sighed, pouring some more batter into the liners. "Bakura is a very murderous being. He's killed a large amount of people throughout the years. He was always so stubborn and-"

"Whoa whoa whoa hold the phone there Yami. This, Bakura guy killed people?"

"No doubt about it," Yami replied, smiling slightly.

"Why're you smiling?! Do you think that death of innocent people is funny?" Marik accused.

"You did not let me finish," Yami cut in, using the same amused tone. "You see, Bakura did not kill innocent people per se. He murdered those who were guilty of unlawful crimes. It was his job and he enjoyed it. But-"

"How could you possibly love killing people?" Marik exasperated.

"-but, he was enjoying himself too much that he would overkill. Completely tear the bodies apart, leaving the execution room a bloody mess. Literally. We had to keep him locked up so he would not continue to get caught up in the killing. He stayed in a containment room where he did nothing but pace and scream. He went insane while being held in there. More insane than he already was."

"A-and you're still friends with him?" Yugi whispered.

"I have not seen him for several hundred years unfortunately. So I have no idea if he is still alive. But I still consider myself his loyal friend."

"What made you wanna be friends with him in the first place?" Marik questioned.

"I felt sorry for him. So I decided to help him. He was not very fond of the idea, as he nearly killed me when he was released. But after several years of my own personal therapy, I managed to keep him under control."

"What makes you so sure that he's the same? You guys haven't seen each other in who knows how long and for all you know he could've killed thousands more," Marik blurted out.

"Marik!" Yugi scolded him.

"What? It's true..." Marik defended.

"You just can't make assumptions like that and expect-"

"It's ok Yugi. I would not be surprised if he did."

"But Yami-"

"No Yugi. It is possible. Going that long without my sympathy and compassion can set a person off. Especially a person like Bakura."

"What do you think has happened to him after all these years?" Yugi asked. "And stop eating the batter Marik!" he added, seeing as his friend thinks it's ok to eat their food before it was actually cooked.

"Well sorry," Marik sarcastically remarked, taking one last lick before continuing pouring the batter into the trays.

"I think he has killed more people yes. He has a lot of anger built up inside of him and his coping style is to kill. He told me that he never felt remorse afterward. But after my sessions with him, I think he would feel solemn about what he has done. To answer your question Yugi, I do believe that Bakura has killed many others, but he has learned from his mistakes so he took initiative to stop himself from over killing his victims."

"Well that sounds like some decent progress has been made, for someone like him," Yugi commented.

"I would hope that it would be a little more than decent progress," Yami sighed.

Yugi gave Yami a sympathetic look before getting up from the table to put the trays in the oven. He set the temperature and timer and then sat back down at the table.

"You said that Bakura is the yami of our friend Ryou, right?" Yugi asked.

"I believe so. Why?"

"Well, you said that a hikari is the light to their yami. And Ryou definitely fits the 'light' part, like Bakura does to the 'dark' part."

"What is Ryou like?" Yami questioned, supporting his head with his hand.

"He's perfect," Marik spoke up. Yami looked to Marik and noticed that he had a dreamy look on his face.

"Ryou is Marik's boyfriend," Yugi whispered to Yami, who nodded his head.

"He's one of those brainiacs y'know. Smart in every subject, but lacks with physicality. He's alright when we're doing random games in gym class, but once we do a sport he gets all frantic and scared. It's so cute..." Marik sighed happily, thinking of Ryou clinging to his arm for protection. "And he's British too, which makes him even more perfect 'cause accents are such a turn on."

Yugi rolled his eyes at Marik's statement, but couldn't complain. It was true about what he said though; Ryou is a very intelligent person who isn't very good at sports. But that doesn't mean that he's weak; Yugi has seen Ryou when he's angry, and it's not a pretty picture.

"He sounds exactly like a typical hikari: very bright and pure," Yami said, sitting up and crossing his legs.

"Oh he is far from pure," Marik remarked, an evil look appearing on his face.

"Don't ask," Yugi whispered when Yami looked at him with confusion.

"What about your other friends Yami? Didn't you say you have two other maniacs to deal with?" Marik recalled.

"They're not maniacs Marik," Yugi corrected. "They're just a little-"

"Insane?" Yami cut in.

"Well, I wouldn't say that, but-"

"It is ok Yugi, really. I do not care what you say about my friends. Just make sure to not insult them when you're in their presence."

"Why? What'd happen if we did?" Marik asked, curious.

"They would use a dull knife to cut your body limb from limb," Yami explained.

"Can you please stop with the bloody images?!" Yugi demanded, closing his eyes while shaking his head.

"I thought you were not frightened Yugi?" Yami slyly mentioned.

"I'm not. But the disturbing images you're giving me are," Yugi shakily whispered.

"Can we get on with this please?" Marik complained. "I get it: Yugi's scared and Yami has a killer friend. Literally. Now can you tell us about the others now Yami?"

"Marik y-"

"Let Yami talk!" Marik interrupted.

"Okay okay calm down," Yugi said.

"Do not worry about it Yugi," Yami comforted his friend, placing a hand over Yugi's. Yugi blushed at the contact, nodding his head and biting his lip along with a fast beating heart.

"Now, Mariku, Marik's yami, is much like Bakura," Yami began. "Very murderous, vicious, full of bloodlust and hate. He has not, however, killed as many people as Bakura."

"You make it sound like it's a contest," Marik uttered.

"Well way back when Bakura was released from his containment room, we did not want to take any risks, so we had someone else take his job as executioner. And that person happened to be Mariku."

"Oh great, another over killer..." Marik murmured, not liking the fact that his yami was a malicious assassin.

"Actually, Mariku had more control than Bakura. The very first time he performed his job, he did as he was told and did not rip the body apart. He took one swing with his sword and walked out of the room like nothing had happened."

"It's always the quiet ones you gotta look out for," Yugi mumbled.

"Yes, that is true and I did keep a close eye on him."

"What was your job Yami?" Marik spoke up.

"I was the one to watch the execution take place. Me and no other. The people who owned the execution chamber chose me as the witness, since I was from a very powerful family. I was very hesitant at first, because I did not know what to expect. The very first execution I watched was brutal and just a bloody mess. I did not want to go again, but I had to, for the sake of my family."

"Why is that?" Yugi queried.

"My mother and father were very proud people. I did not want to let them down, so I swallowed my fear and got over it," Yami reminisced.

"Where are your parents now?" Marik requested.

Yami's body went stiff for a moment; his eyes bore into the kitchen table and he was cracking his knuckles.

"Yami?" Yugi quietly pleaded. He didn't like the way Yami suddenly became so unresponsive. "Yami?" he asked again, shaking his arm a bit.

Yami blinked a few times, stopped his knuckle cracking and sniffed. He cleared his throat before speaking.

"They're dead."

Silence filled the room. Yami stared straight ahead, avoiding Marik's gaze. Yugi looked at Marik with worry and Marik the same.

"I'm so sorry Yami," Yugi apologized.

"Me too. Sorry I asked," Marik added, lowering his head in shame.

"Do not be crestfallen Marik," Yami reassured. Marik looked at Yami with sad eyes and gave him a slight smile. Yami smiled back, letting him know that it was alright.

"So, uhm, any other ferocious fellows you got Yami?" Marik joked, diffusing some of the tension.

"There is one more. Seth."

"He possibly can't be any worse than Mariku or Bakura can he?" Yugi asked nervously.

"Actually, he's quite the opposite. He has not killed a living being, as far as I know. Even if he did I would not know about it since he's very clever and sneaky. Although he does not eradicate people for a living, he is a master manipulator. The first time I met him was during one of my sessions with Bakura. My home was protected by a thirty-foot concrete wall and a surrounding barrier, for extra precautions. Guards were contained inside the wall and outside as well. Seth, somehow, was able to deceive my guards into believing that he was a very old family friend. They let him inside and he found me with Bakura. He was calm and very meticulous. Bakura almost had an outburst when Seth walked through my door. I persuaded Bakura not to attack him, and he complied. I dealt with Seth myself, and he convinced me to let him talk with Bakura. I let him inside, and-"

Yami was cut short by the sound of the timer going off.

"I'll get them," Yugi said as he got up from the table, walking over to the oven, putting on oven mitts and lifting the cupcakes out. "Marik, could you help me for a sec please?"

Marik sighed in annoyance but reluctantly went over to help his friend.

"Could you use a toothpick to push through the cupcakes and see if they're ready?" Yugi requested.

Marik did as he was told and retrieved the toothpicks from the cupboard above him. Yugi went to a different cupboard and brought forth cans of frosting and containers with sprinkles in them. Yami sat where he was, with his hands intertwined. Out of all the clattering going about, Yami heard a faint knock on the shop door downstairs.

"Yugi, someone wishes to enter your home," Yami told his preoccupied friend.

"Sorry Yami, do you mind answering it? Just tell them that the shop is closed today."

"Are you not worried that whoever it is will be suspicious about the fact that I am not you?"

"What? Oh, you mean how you look like an older version of me? Don't worry about it, they probably won't notice. New people come here all the time. Never once have I seen the same face twice."

"Are you sure?" Yami catechized.

"It's alright Yami, really."

"If you say so."

"Thank you."

And so Yami got up from his current position and made his way down to the shop. He made one last look at Yugi and Marik before sliding through the door. He walked silently down the stairs and waltzed over to the shop door. He did not expect what was standing on the other side. Yami opened the door and greeted the stranger.

"I'm sorry but the sh-" Yami's sentence was cut short and his eyes widened at the person in front of him.

"Hello, old friend."

* * *

wow two weeks since my last update. how lazy can i get?

omfg a week ago i just thought of a really great Hijack fanfic i could write and it's gonna be perfect. but this fanfic is a priority, so i must complete this one first. but seriously, that other fic will be perfect

can any of you guess who showed up at Yugi's house? give me some guesses and i'll say who was correct ;)

bye for now!~


	12. The Yamis

_Intro: An old friend from Yami's past has just showed up on Yugi's front door step. The reason the being is here: Yami doesn't know. He reluctantly lets his friend come into Yugi's home, not knowing why he is here or what he wants. Yami just hopes that he can keep Yugi and Marik safe while he is visiting..._

* * *

"Seth?" Yami blinked in disbelief.

"What? No cheery smile or a friendly hug? I expected more from you Yami," Seth remarked.

"What are you doing here? How did you find me?" Yami demanded.

"Why, I came here to have a nice visit with my closest friend, of course," Seth replied. "Don't say that you're not happy to see me?"

"'Happy' does not exactly describe my mood right now, Seth. I will ask you again, how did you find me?" Yami repeated.

"Why? Did you not wish to be found?" Seth asked.

"No. I am simply asking a simple question. Now answer it. How did you find me?" Yami said, running out of patience.

"If you must know, my rod here," Seth began, pulling back his cloak to reveal his golden rod kept securely in his belt hoops. "Was acting strangely... it was glowing brighter than I've ever seen it. It projected an image of your ring in front of me. The image of your ring acted on its own and drifted over to the world map in my study office, and it landed on the small town of Domino City in Japan. I knew something exquisite had happened, so I traveled all the way from Cairo to search for you. And low and behold, here you are, in some filthy human's home."

"Yugi is _not_ a filthy human Seth!" Yami angrily spat.

"Yugi eh?" Seth repeated. "Tell me Yami. How is it that you ended up in this human's home?"

"He-he saved me," Yami confessed, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"How can that be? You can handle yourself can't you?" Seth questioned. "And you let him?"

"I had no choice!" Yami defended. "I was not wearing my ring one night and some giant thought it would be an ingenious idea to slice me up. I tried to retrieve my ring from my pocket but the man was suffocating me. Yugi found me when I was held up against the wall and he knocked me out. Yugi took me in and took care of me."

"Yami Atemu actually let a human being touch him? That does not sound like you at all," Seth commented. "Why did you let him?"

"Because he's my hikari!" Yami shouted in frustration.

Seth stared at Yami in astonishment. "Y-you found your hikari?" Seth whispered, not believing it. "You lie!"

"I would never!" Yami argued. "If anyone would be a liar, it would be you, Seth!"

"Oh come now. You of all people should know that it is my job to lie to people, Yami," Seth quipped, a sly smirk appearing on his face.

"What do you want?" Yami demanded, ignoring Seth's comment.

"I came here to see what the ever living hell is going on," Seth cleared up.

"Well, I am sorry to tell you that nothing is happening here Seth," Yami concluded, beginning to shut the door.

"Oh I think there is," Seth remarked, sticking out his foot to prevent the door from closing. "I think you're hiding something."

"Well you thought wrong old friend," Yami lied half-heartedly.

"So there is no significant reason why my item decided to glow the way it did?" Seth questioned.

"It is normal for your item to glow Seth. All the items do one time or another."

"Not as bright as it did when I was relaxing in my room," Seth reminded him. "The items only glow as bright as the Sun when the Blessed One has been found. Or so the legend says."

"Maybe your rod was malfunctioning," Yami suggested, not wanting to tell his friend that Yugi may be the Blessed One.

"I most certainly do not think so," Seth said. "Why don't we take this inside? It is rather chilly in this part of the city."

"I think not," Yami argued. "You will not be staying here for much longer."

"Is that so? Don't make me do something I do not want to do Yami," Seth threatened.

"I am not afraid of you," Yami confessed.

"Me, no. My rod? Yes," Seth remembered.

"I am more powerful may I remind you," Yami bickered.

"Maybe when you are wearing your ring. But without it you are defenseless," Seth pointed out. "Speaking of which, where is your ring Yami?"

"I gave it to Yugi," Yami answered.

"What catastrophic force gave you that idea?" Seth asked, flabbergasted.

"To protect him. If I cannot be there for him, at least one little piece of me will be."

"How romantic," Seth mocked. "Why waste your precious power on a pathetic human? Even if he is your hikari."

"He is not a pathetic human!" Yami shouted angrily. "He is the Blessed One!"

Yami slapped his hand over his mouth after what he just revealed. Why did he just tell Seth that Yugi is the Blessed One? Well, he may be the Blessed One, but it's a risk nonetheless. Yami doesn't know what Seth could do to Yugi if he knew that he was the real ancient creature. Yami was just defending Yugi, nothing more! He didn't mean any harm. He was just sick of Seth insulting Yugi like he's nothing.

"He's... he's what?" Seth muttered in disbelief.

"Nothing, he is nothing," Yami quickly said.

"I thought you said he wasn't nothing?" Seth growled.

"He is not," Yami replied. "And what he is, is none of your business Seth."

"Oh really? I thought I heard you say he was the Blessed One," Seth recalled, with a smug grin on his face.

Yami tensed up and his heart was picking up its pace. He could not deny that he had told Seth the truth about Yugi. So he had to think of a way to make Seth forget.

"Won't you let me come in and speak with him?" Seth suggested.

"You know the rules Seth. You can only be invited in by the beings that inhabit this home," Yami reminded him.

"Enough! I am sick of your competent grammar," Seth remarked, clearly not used to hearing Yami speak so proper in his presence.

"You know that I grew up in a very prestigious home Seth. You should know that I have been taught to speak this way."

"You could at least use contractions y'know," Seth annoying snapped.

"You know I cannot do that," Yami smiled, using emphasis on the 'cannot' part.

"Stubborn mortal," Seth muttered under his breath.

"I am no mortal Seth," Yami quipped. "You know I am more powerful than you."

"When you're wearing your precious ring you may be. But now you are no different than them."

"Do not discriminate them like that," Yami warned. "But you are right. We are no different than they are. The only difference is our immortality and magic abilities."

"Is that so? I guess I'll have to figure that out for myself," Seth announced, pushing his way past Yami and into the game shop.

"Stop right there Seth!" Yami called out.

Seth stopped where he was and turned around with a smug look on his face.

"Oooh, are you trying to stop me?" Seth mocked in a childish voice. "Cause if you are it's not going to work."

"I need to tell you what I saw when I read Yugi," Yami voiced calmly. "But it was not all that easy."

Seth narrowed his eyes and stepped closer to Yami, clearly intrigued. "What happened?" he asked in all seriousness.

"W-well, I... he, he was not exactly the easiest to evaluate," Yami began nervously. "I could not read him like the others. I had to touch him."

"And how did that go?" Seth asked with an obvious smirk on his face.

"It went fine," Yami replied hardly.

"Nothing else happened?"

Yami went silent for a moment. He looked down to the ground to avoid eye contact with Seth. His lip quivered and the ongoing silence was beginning to agitate him. Seth knew that this was one of his weaknesses, so he kept quiet until Yami spoke up.

"Yes," Yami finally confessed, not being able to withstand the uncomfortable silence any longer.

"That's what I like to hear," Seth smiled. Yami shot daggers at his so-called friend and tried to ignore the comment.

"Did you enjoy it?" Seth asked with the same sly smirk on his face.

"Why do you care?" Yami snapped.

"Ok, judging by the hostility I'm guessing that you did."

Yami blushed insanely and looked away angrily once more.

"I'll stop with my torture for now," Seth pitied. "More importantly, what did you see?"

Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, Yami turned his attention back to Seth.

"I saw yellow, blue, green, pink, orange, purple, grey, teal and mahogany. Everything except red, black, white and brown."

"Hmph. Typical teenage human. Happiness, depression, kindness, loving, a sense of humour, intelligent, cleverness, sarcasm and shyness," Seth muttered, disappointed. "He sounds boring and uninteresting."

"But," Yami began, and when he did Seth snapped his head up and listened intently. "I may have seen a hint of red."

"Red? Are you saying that this pest may be violent?" Seth exasperated. "From what I've heard he doesn't seem all that threatening."

"I do not know what he is capable of Seth," Yami pointed out. "So I must keep a close eye on him."

"But he is a human Yami!" Seth reminded him. "You hate humans! Ever since they rebelled against us and nearly wiped out our race! Your parents were the most cunning, clever and sneakiest of us all. If it hadn't been for your parents' sacrifice, we wouldn't be here today!"

"Do not speak of my mother and father in front of me," Yami coldly remarked, staring Seth straight in the eyes. "I know what they did for us Seth. I know they did what they had to do. But do not think for one second that you know my parents better than I do, because you do not."

When Yami finished, he had tears of anger silently sliding down his face. He closed his eyes tightly as he bowed his head to the door and balled his hands into fists. Seth looked at his friend in shock, as he had never seen Yami act like this before. Feeling unsure about what to do, Seth just stared at Yami as his breathing became broken and his eyes became wetter.

Suddenly feeling sympathetic, Seth walked over to Yami and awkwardly reached out a hand. He hesitantly placed it on his shoulder and used his thumb to rub it gently.

Yami sniffed and looked up at his friend. He cried more as he saw that Seth was trying to comfort him. Liking the new found friendliness, which he had never seen before, Yami gave Seth a small smile and quickly pulled him into a hug. Seth did not expect the sudden skinship, so he stood there motionless with his hands in the air as Yami tightened the embrace and cried even more. Not being in this position before, Seth decided, for the sake of his friend, to wrap his arms around Yami's tiny body and hug him back. He never realized how short his friend really was, and this hug proved that Yami was at least a full head shorter than himself.

"I miss them Seth," Yami whispered through his sobs.

"I know you do," Seth soothed, gently rubbing the back of his head. "I know it may seem that I have no emotions and I have a cold exterior Yami. Even though this is true, I still have a heart."

"What are you trying to say?" Yami asked, breathing and sniffing slowly.

"What I'm trying to say is..." Seth closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I-I'm, I'm s-sor-ry about what I said," Seth apologized, acting as if the words were poison.

Yami stopped crying and looked up at Seth with curious eyes. Seth looked down and noticed that Yami had a smirk on his face.

"What?" he asked.

"You are turning soft, Seth."

"I am not!" Seth defended, pushing Yami away.

"Oh I think you are," Yami jested, using his hand to wipe away the tears as Seth cleared his throat and straightened his clothes.

"Thank you Seth. For this, I will let you in on one condition," Yami announced, standing up straight and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Enlighten me," Seth said.

"You must not, under any circumstance, harm Yugi or Marik in any way shape or form. This includes your knack for manipulation."

"But you know that I love it so," Seth pouted. "It won't be that easy."

"Either you will try, or you are not going in."

Seth looked Yami up and down before sighing. If he wanted to get inside, he would have to accept the terrifying condition.

"Fine. I won't lay a finger on your precious little hikari and his companion."

"Give me your word Seth."

"I already have."

"No. You know what you must do."

Seth sighed and rolled his eyes as he stepped forward and placed his hands on Yami's shoulders. Yami did the same and looked deep into Seth's eyes.

"Seth, do you swear not to cause any bodily or mentally harm to Yugi or his friends?"

"'Friends'?" Seth repeated, using emphasis on the plural.

"Seth, do you swear?" Yami repeated hardly.

"Yes, I swear," Seth answered, feeling defeated.

The second Seth swore to Yami, a glowing light could be seen coming from the back of Seth's cloak. The same light appeared on Yami's and Seth's foreheads, in the shape of an eye. Yami's eyes glowed brighter, as did Seth's. Upstairs in the kitchen, Yami's ring was also glowing, and Yugi had no idea what was going on.

"Hey Yugi, why is your ring doing that?" Marik asked.

"No idea," Yugi answered honestly. Yugi didn't know what was happening, but a few seconds later the light diminished.

"It's gone now," Yugi said, raising his hand to look at the mysterious piece of jewelry.

"I wonder if it has anything to do with what Yami's doing downstairs," Marik suggested.

"What is taking him so long anyway?" Yugi wondered, getting worried that Yami hasn't come back yet.

"I'm sure he'll be back soon enough," Marik assured him, though he was curious as to why it took this long to get rid of a customer.

"I'm going to see what he's doing," Yugi announced, getting up and walking towards the door. When he reached for the doorknob, the door opened and there was Yami with some stranger behind him.

"Yugi," Yami greeted, giving him a smile.

"Uh, hey Yami welcome back," Yugi awkwardly replied. "Who's your friend?"

"Yugi, Marik, this is Seth," Yami introduced his friend, stepping away from the door to let him in.

Seth walked in with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face. Yugi and Marik stared in astonishment. Seth looked exactly like Seto, besides the length of his hair.

"No way," Marik said, getting up from his chair and walking towards the door by Yugi.

"Like what you see?" Seth snickered.

Yami shot Seth a look that said 'don't be an smart-aleck', and explained to Yugi and Marik that Seth is Seto's yami.

"You don't say," Marik remarked, eying Seth up and down.

"Wait, what?" Seth blinked, confused.

"Did I not tell you? You are their friends' yami, Seth," Yami happily told him.

"And why do you sound so chipper about it?" Seth questioned suspiciously.

"I would just like to observe you meeting him. Which you will be very soon."

"Don't count on it," Yugi said, narrowing his eyes at the giant of a man in front of him.

"Why is that?" Seth asked in an angry tone.

"Because he doesn't need any distractions," Yugi replied matter-of-factly.

"Distractions from what?"

"His work. He's the CEO of his company, KaibaCorp."

'_He doesn't sound too bad,_' Seth thought. '_Intelligent and successful. I like the sound of that._'

"And he's still in school too. So I don't think having to deal with a duplicate of him fits in his schedule."

'_And young,_' Seth added.

"Not to mention Joey's reaction. He'd probably take them both on," Marik commented, restraining himself from smiling.

"Joey?" Seth repeated.

"Yeah, Joey is Seto's boyfriend," Marik informed.

'_And apparently taken,_' Seth frowned.

"Now Seth, there is no reason to be upset. You know that not all yamis and hikaris are meant to be together," Yami reminded him.

"I am not upset about that stupid piece of information," Seth spat.

"Then why are you upset?"

"I am not upset."

"Then why did you make a face when Marik told you that Seto had a boyfriend?" Yugi clued in.

Seth didn't answer, as he found the conversation going nowhere. He didn't care that his hikari had a partner, he can find one on his own. Although, he had been searching for a few hundred years...

"Would you like to sit down?" Yami suggested. Yugi looked over at his yami, widening his eyes and slightly shaking his head.

"Now Yugi, you do not have to worry. Seth gave me his word that he would not harm neither you, nor Marik while he is visiting," Yami reassured him.

"How do you know that he won't go back on his promise?" Yugi questioned, frowning at Seth.

"Because I gave him my word you inconsiderate little-"

"Seth! What did I say?" Yami caught him.

"You never said I couldn't insult the little twerps."

"Insulting them is a part of harming their psychological being. It hurts their feelings."

"I didn't know humans had feelings," Seth mocked. "From what I've seen, the only emotion they have is anger and rage."

"Yami, what's he talking about?" Yugi asked a little concerned.

"It is nothing, Yugi. Please, sit down and I promise you I will keep this one," Yami pointed to Seth. "Under control."

"Whatever you say. C'mon Marik," Yugi motioned his friend over to the sofa. Once they sat down, Yami turned to Seth.

"Be nice to them!" Yami hissed.

"Why should I? Humans are all the same! Distrustful, pathetic, weak, easily confused-"

"Seth that is enough!" Yami barked, making Yugi and Marik jump from his tone of voice. "I will not stand here and let you speak to them that way. Now either you pull your act together, or you are leaving right now," Yami threatened.

"And what if I don't?"

"You know what happens when someone breaks the kind of promises we make," Yami advised him, making Seth return to the moment where he made the Unbreakable Swear with Yami.

'_Oh yes I remember. Whoever breaks the swear is executed immediately. How riveting,_' Seth thought before sighing.

"Fine, I won't break our beloved swear," Seth regretted.

"Good. Now sit down with Yugi and Marik and talk with them."

"Yes dear," Seth mocked, smirking as he began to walk towards the two boys. Before he got there, he whispered, "I'd like to inform you that Bakura and Mariku are here as well."

Yami sure as hell heard what he said, but didn't react. He couldn't let Yugi and Marik know that two maniacs were lurking around their neighbourhood. So he took a deep breath to calm himself, and sat down with the others.

* * *

All the while Yugi and Marik were chatting away with Seth, Yami was completely silent. His mind was a little too preoccupied with the thought of Bakura and Mariku entering the scene, and what they could possibly to do Yugi and Marik. But then again, Marik is Mariku's hikari; Mariku wouldn't hurt his hikari... well, not on purpose anyway.

"Hey Yami, you alright? You're awfully quiet," Yugi spoke up, dragging Yami away from his thoughts.

"Oh, yes. I am quite alright. I was just thinking..." Yami trailed off, unsure whether or not to tell Yugi about what he plans to do.

"Thinking about what?"

"I was just... uhm, I was just thinking that maybe you should bring your other friends over here as well," Yami replied, choosing his words carefully.

"Why?" Yugi asked suspiciously.

"Well, they will eventually have to meet me, and I suppose Seth, as well. So I was thinking, why wait? If they come here now, you will not have to deal with hearing the same story again and again."

"That's a good point," Yugi said. "But I'm not sure. I mean, we just met Seth. How will Joey, Ryou and Seto react with seeing two people who look exactly like their friends?"

"I know how you feel. But I am positive that they will take it lightly."

"I don't know..." Yugi said, looking down at his hands.

"Please Yugi? I promise I will not ask for anything else," Yami offered.

"Well... ugh ok fine. I'll go call them now," Yugi sighed, defeated.

"Thank you Yugi," Yami smiled.

"Yeah yeah," Yugi huffed. "Oh, do you want your ring back? I'm sure you're missing it."

'_I would be stronger and be able to protect Yugi and Marik if Bakura and Mariku were to barge in,_' Yami thought before answering. "If you do not mind."

"I wouldn't wanna make you think I'd be keeping it forever," Yugi said before sliding the ring off his finger and giving it back to Yami.

"I would not mind. Just as long as you are safe. And if you wish to wear it again, by all means you can take it."

"Thanks Yami!" Yugi smiled before walking over to the phone on the wall. Yami smiled back and turned around to keep an eye on Seth.

Yugi picked up the phone from the receiver and punched in the number for Ryou's house. It rang for a bit before someone finally answered.

"Hello?" a soft voice said.

"Uhm, Ryou? Is that you?" Yugi asked, as the voice was too quiet to comprehend.

"Yes it's me Yugi," Ryou informed him.

"Oh great. Hey, I was just wondering if you wanna come over here for a bit?" Yugi asked.

"Yugi the last time I was there I didn't go home until late in the night! My dad was a little upset about it," Ryou shakily reminded him.

"Don't worry! You won't be staying here for that long," Yugi assured him.

"But it's a school night Yugi," Ryou pleaded. "I don't wanna be sleep deprived."

"Ryou, it's only Wednesday. The week is half over I'm sure you can fake being sick if you're too tired to go to school."

"I don't know Yugi..."

"Pleeeease? I have something to show you," Yugi added, hoping this piece of information will do the trick.

"Really? What is it?" Ryou perked up.

"Well you're gonna have to come over here if you wanna find out," Yugi said.

"Can't you bring it to school tomorrow?" Ryou proposed.

"Not really, no. This isn't really for lots of people to see Ry," Yugi said.

"Why is it so important that I have to see it tonight?"

"Because I told him I would!" Yugi tiredly spat.

"Oh? So it's a person?" Ryou analyzed, intrigued.

"Yes Ry it's a person! But he can't be seen by anybody else. And I didn't wanna wait to show the rest of you," Yugi explained.

"The rest of us?" Ryou repeated.

"Yes the rest of you! You, Joey and Seto," Yugi said.

"What about Marik?"

"Marik's already here. He walked home with me today remember?"

"Oh right, I see."

"So, are you gonna come over or not?"

"I'm not sure. My dad wouldn't like it, but I do wanna see who it is-"

"A simple 'yes' or 'no' would be enough Ry," Yugi cut in.

"Ugh, ok fine. I'll be there in a few minutes," Ryou complied.

"Thank you Ryou! You won't regret it! Well, maybe," Yugi whispered.

"Wait what?" Ryou asked a little panicked.

"Nothing I'll see you when you get here bye!" Yugi quickly spat out before hanging up the phone.

"Ryou's coming everybody!" Yugi shouted so the three boys could hear him. Marik smiled like a love struck idiot, Seth nodded his head and Yami smiled.

'_One down, two to go,_' Yami thought, pleased with his plan. '_Wow, now I know how Seth feels when he manipulates people._'

"Ok, now Joey and Seto," Yugi whispered to himself. "But who should I call first? Well, knowing them, they're probably together right now. And they're usually at Seto's since he has the biggest bed."

Stupidly smiling to himself, Yugi picked up the phone again and dialed the number for Seto's cell phone. Knowing Seto, he usually keeps his phone on vibrate so the sound of his ringtone doesn't piss him off.

It felt like an eternity before someone decided to answer Seto's phone.

"What?" an angry voice said.

"Well good evening to you too," Yugi sarcastically greeted.

"Yugi what do you want?" Seto bitterly queried.

"I was just wondering if you and Joey would like to come to my house for a bit," Yugi calmly explained.

"What makes you think Joey is here?" Seto questioned.

"When is Joey _not_ there, Seto?" Yugi pointed out. Seto was silent for a moment, and that's when Yugi could heard Joey in the background asking Seto to come back to bed with him.

"So how about it? Are you willing to give up one night to spend it with me, Marik and Ryou?"

"And why would I want to do that when all I want is right here?" Seto suggested.

"Because I have something to show you. The both of you."

"And what exactly might that be?"

"Guess you'll have to come here if you wanna find out. And I can't bring it anywhere so just come over," Yugi added before Seto could ask.

"Why must it be now?" Seto tiredly complained.

"Because he asked me to now either you two come or you'll never get to see him goodnight." And with that Yugi hung up the phone again.

"I'm pretty sure Seto and Joey are coming too," Yugi said as he walked over to the living room, sitting down between Yami and Marik.

"Really? That'd be a first," Marik commented.

"Why is that?" Yami asked.

"Cause they're always-"

"They don't need to know that Marik," Yugi spoke before Marik could give them the reason.

"But-"

"No Marik. By now I bet they could guess what they were doing before I called them," Yugi said, pointing his head towards Yami and Seth.

"I do not follow," Yami confusedly said.

"You're innocence is embarrassing Yami," Seth gibed. Yami looked at Seth, discombobulated. Seth rolled his eyes before giving Yami a very blunt answer. "They were having sex, Yami." Yami thinned his lips, nodded his head and slowly looked away from Seth.

"They do it quite a lot actually," Marik lazily commented, lying back on the sofa and placing his arms behind his head.

"Marik they don't need to know the details," Yugi asserted.

"What's the harm? I mean, it's not like nobody knows."

"Except for us and Ryou," Yugi corrected him.

"Not exactly," Marik confessed.

"Marik, who did you tell?" Yugi pressed, clearly wanting to know why he would do that. "You know that Seto will have your ass if you told anybody."

"The only ass he's having is Joey's," Marik sassed.

"Ok let's move on shall we?" Yugi recommended.

"Who said that you-"

"Shut up Marik," Yugi hastily snapped. Marik threw his hands up in defense and was quiet.

No one knew what to talk about, since Seth had said all he needed to while speaking with Yugi and Marik. The conversation wasn't exactly pleasant, as he mainly talked about what they do to humans who double cross them. Yugi and Marik weren't really concerned, as they knew that those days were over. But it was creepy nonetheless. Just when the silence was really getting to Yugi, there was a knock at the door.

"I bet it's Ryou," Yugi said, stepping over Yami's legs to get to the door.

"He's allowed to come into the shop without as much as a knock?" Seth questioned, clearly annoyed.

"Well yeah. He's our friend; he can come in whenever he wants," Marik disclosed.

"I see," Seth breathed.

"Ryou's here," Yugi announced, letting his friend step in. Ryou, being the shy one when meeting new people, lowered his head to avoid eye contact.

Marik immediately jumped out of his seat and pounced on Ryou, pinning him to the ground. Ryou squeaked from the surprise attack, but wrapped his arms around Marik's waist and nuzzled his neck. Yami and Seth looked awkwardly at each other, and then looked at Yugi who just shrugged his shoulders. He mouthed, 'they love each other', and faked a cough to get Marik's attention.

"Marik, do you mind? There are other people here y'know," Yugi whispered, kicking Marik lightly in the hip.

"But it's comfy down here," Marik complained.

"Marik, can we please get up? I don't like staring," Ryou whispered.

"Who's staring?"

"Those people in the living room," Ryou said, pointing to the two blobs in the corner.

"Oh right. By the way, don't scream when you stand up," Marik informed him.

"Why would I scream?" Ryou hoarsely huffed, Marik's weight crushing him.

"You'll find out in about five seconds."

Marik got off of his boyfriend and helped him to his feet. Ryou kept his head down still, as Marik led him over to the living room. Yugi followed close behind, his heart picking up its pace. He knew Ryou wasn't a person who would run around in a panic; he just goes into shock and usually faints afterwards.

Ryou sat down next to Marik with his arm around his waist, his eyesight placed on his hands in his lap.

"Ryou, can you please say hello?" Yugi asked politely.

"You know how he operates," Marik mentioned, before smirking and placing his face to Ryou's ear. While Marik was busy with his own way of persuasion, Yami and Seth quickly spoke with each other.

"He looks exactly like him," Seth whispered. "Besides the hair."

"And he is definitely not as insane. He seems gentle and fragile. Definitely the opposite of Bakura," Yami observed.

"Now if he will only look up."

"Ok ok fine fine," Ryou said, embarrassed with the blush on his face. "Hi, I-I'm Ry-" Ryou lifted his head to finish his sentence, but he cut himself short as he looked at Yami. Ryou widened his eyes and his mouth was gaping slightly. Yugi could see that he was going into shock, so he called out his name.

"Ry? You ok?" Ryou looked over to the source of the voice, and did a double take as he looked from Yugi to Yami and vice versa.

"Y-Yugi?" Ryou intoned.

"Yes Ryou. I'm Yugi, and this here," he pointed to Yami, "is Yami."

"Y-Yami?" Ryou repeated. "Why is t-there t-two of you?"

"I know this is a bit of a shock, but you're gonna have to wait until Seto and Joey come here to get the answer," Yugi calmly elucidated.

"W-why is that?"

"You'll find out soon enough Ry. Just sit tight and be patient."

"O-okay." Marik wrapped an arm around Ryou's shoulder and rubbed it soothingly. Yugi watched them and cracked a small, sad smile as he watched Marik comfort Ryou. Yugi longed for that kind of contact, but tonight was about Yami and Seth, so he must focus on them and not himself.

"So, Ryou is it? Where do you hail from?" Yami asked, trying to make a conversation.

"W-what?" Ryou stuttered.

"Uhm Yami, around here, we ask people where they_ come_ from," Yugi said.

"Oh, my mistake. Ok, Ryou, where do you come from?" Yami began again.

"I-I was born in the Northern part of Yorkshire," Ryou answered, staring in Yami's eyes. "In England."

"I could tell by your accent that you must have descended from a part in England," Yami said. "And what a beautiful country it is."

"You-you've been there?" Ryou guessed.

"Many times. I revisit so often because it is my favourite country to go to," Yami happily confessed. "But I do miss my own country."

"And what's that?" Ryou asked.

"Oh yeah, you never mentioned where you were from Yami," Yugi added in.

"I know this may be hard to believe, but I was born in Egypt," Yami attested.

"That's where I'm from!" Marik excitedly proclaimed.

"And I see that you bring your country wherever you go," Yami said, gesturing the various gold jewelry attached to Marik's body.

"I feel like I'm back at home with it on," Marik avowed. "What city are you from?"

"I, along with Seth and the others, hail from the small city of Kul Elna," Yami told.

"Kul Elna?" Marik repeated. "Never heard of it."

"Of course, our city was there a very, very long time ago. I am sure that it has been renamed or reduced to rubble," Yami sighed.

"Well that's a shame. I would've loved to go there. I was born in the capital city, Cairo," Marik boasted.

"Cairo you say? Seth, is that not the place you said you were before you came here?" Yami turned towards the very quiet individual.

"Yes it is," Seth answered. "I live there remember?"

"Well it has been a very long time since I have seen you, so I would have no idea where you live."

"How observant of you," Seth jeered.

"No need to be rude about it," Ryou whispered to himself.

"Watch it Brit," Seth warned.

Ryou bit his lip and shifted uncomfortably in Marik's grip.

"Seth don't act so rashly towards the poor boy," Yami dissuaded.

"My apologies your majesty," Seth sarcastically divulged.

"Do not start with me Seth," Yami fussed.

"Whatever," Seth grunted.

"What's wrong with them?" Ryou quietly asked Marik.

"Oh they just have a lot of problems with each other I guess," Marik inferenced.

"We do not," Seth sharply spat, overhearing the two boys' conversation.

"Well it sure as hell sounds like you do," Marik dared. Seth was up on his feet when another knock at the door interrupted his boldness.

"Oh that must be Seto and Joey," Yugi assumed, getting up once again to get the door.

"You're lucky, Brit," Seth advised, sitting back down in his seat. Ryou looked away from Seth and rested his head on Marik's shoulder.

"Low and behold look who it is," Yugi said from the door. "Seto and Joey are here!"

"Yeah yeah so why d'ya want us here?" Joey demanded.

"First, you must promise that you won't panic or scream or anything," Yugi brought up.

"Why would we?" Seto pondered.

"Well, what you're gonna see isn't exactly an everyday thing. It's definitely gonna surprise you, but I don't want you to scream about it."

"Is it somethin scary or whateva?" Joey chortled.

"No, but it's gonna create shock and confusion," Yugi drawled.

"Yugi just show us already and we'll be the judge of it," Seto impatiently insisted.

"Suit yourself," Yugi said, opening the door to let them in.

As Joey and Seto stepped inside, Joey's immediate attention went to the living room. He saw the back of Yami's head, and to his right he saw Seth with his arms and legs crossed and his eyes closed. Seto followed Joey's gaze and froze where he was.

"Is this some kind of joke Yugi?" Seto growled. At Seto's comment, Seth opened his eyes and looked to his left while Yami turned around to expose his face.

"Yugi what da hell is goin on? Who are dese people and why do dey look like you and Seto?" Joey demanded.

"Well if you give them a chance to explain themselves you'll get your answer," Yugi said.

"What makes ya think we can trust em?" Joey questioned, clenching Seto's jacket.

"Because if you don't then you'll end up dead," Seth coolly promulgated.

"Seth! No threats, that is part of the deal," Yami snapped. Seth just shrugged his shoulders and ignored Yami as he continued to stare at the new guests.

"Sounds like you," Joey whispered to Seto.

"Do I make threats to you?" Seto retorted.

"Occasionally."

"I do not."

"Yes ya do."

"No, I don't."

"Yeah, ya do."

"No, I don't."

"Yes y-"

"Oh you both sound like a quarreling old married couple," Seth broke in, rubbing his temples in annoyance.

"We do not," Joey and Seto said simultaneously.

"My point exactly."

"Listen, why don't you two sit your asses down on the couch so Yami and Seth can explain what's going on," Yugi directed his friends, keeping his composure.

"But-"

"I said sit down!" Yugi shouted, slightly frightening all his friends in the room, including Yami.

"I didn't know Yugi had such a voice on him," Marik murmured to Ryou.

"No kidding," Ryou concurred.

Joey and Seto followed Yugi's orders and sat down next to Marik and Ryou, away from Yami and Seth.

"Okay," Yugi huffed, sitting down next to Yami. "You guys are gonna listen while Yami and Seth here explain who they are and why they're here. Although I'm not exactly sure why Seth is here… Anyway, Yami, if you'd like to start go right ahead."

"He's bossy when he's tired," Ryou commented. Yugi rolled his head to the side to give Ryou a glare, and then rest it against the back of the couch and relax while he listened to the same story for the last time.

* * *

Joey, Seto and Ryou were all in a daze by the time Yami and Seth-mostly Yami-finished re-explaining everything from the beginning. Right down to the last detail about hikaris and magical items. Yugi on the other hand, was downright exhausted.

"Yugi, are you alright?" Yami asked, concerned.

"Hmm? Oh yeah yeah, I'm good," Yugi replied, wiping his face and stretching while yawning. "Just a little tired."

"Maybe you should get some sleep," Yami recommended.

"No it's ok I'll be alright. I don't want any unnecessary fights to start between any of you so I'll have to stay awake to make sure that doesn't happen."

"Whatever you think is best," Yami replied in understanding. Yugi smiled and yawned again before turning his head towards his friends. They all looked like they had seen a phantom, except for Marik, since he had learnt all of this a few hours ago.

"Are any of you going to say anything?" Yugi sleepily yawned.

"What's dere t say?" Joey spoke. "I mean, dere's not much t say, except how in the holiest of hells is this possible?"

"For now Joey, can you just be satisfied with the fact that it is possible?" Yugi suggested, his fatigue getting to him.

"No Yug, I can't. I wanna know. How is dis possible?"

"I think we should leave that back story for another night," Yami began. "It is a very difficult and complicated topic to discuss."

"Why is that?" Seto questioned.

"Because it is too complex and convoluted for you humans to comprehend did you not hear Yami the first time?" Seth tempted.

"You are packing quite the attitude," Marik observed.

"What's it to you?" Seth snarled.

"See, that's exactly what I'm talking about," Marik said, pushing Seth's buttons. "You're too hostile. You need to lighten up and try not to be… well you. No wonder Yami hasn't made an effort to hang out with you."

"Marik, don't provoke him," Ryou warned, not liking the look appearing on Seth's face.

"Oh no, let the brat say what he wants," Seth encouraged. "I'm sure Mariku would love to hear about what a big mouth he is."

"Is that so?" Marik said.

"I know so. And I'm positive that Bakura would love to see that his hikari is a pathetic, fragile, innocent little weakling."

"He is not!" Marik defended, holding Ryou close. "And he is definitely not innocent."

"It's true, I've heard em goin at it lots of times," Joey confessed, not exactly helping the situation.

"Pulchritudinous," Seth stated.

"Looks like someone swallowed a dictionary," Yugi laughed, attracting Seth's attention.

"And I'm sure you're pleased to know that Yami is helplessly devoted to you," Seth smirked, making Yami blush.

Yugi tilted his head down, peering over at Yami to see his reaction. Yami didn't meet Yugi's eyes and kept his eyesight forward. Yugi decided to leave it alone and move on for the time being.

"Speaking of yamis, I have a little surprise for everyone," Seth announced, getting out of his seat and walking towards the door.

"Seth, what are you doing?" Yami asked cautiously, standing up.

"What I should've done a few hours ago."

"Seth, do not walk out that door," Yami warned.

"Or what? You'll try to stop me? Let's face it Yami; you're half my height, I could crush you in an instant and your ring isn't as powerful as my rod," Seth analyzed. And with that Seth walked out the door to God knows where and left Yami standing puzzled and worried about what will happen when Seth returns.

"What was that about?" Marik asked, curious.

"You will find out soon enough. But I cannot guarantee that you are going to enjoy it," Yami replied, sitting back down.

"How bad is it?" Yugi whispered as he shifted closer to Yami.

"He… he went to go retrieve a few things," Yami nervously avowed.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"In this situation, it is harrowing."

"Well that sounds promising," Yugi sarcastically commented.

"You guys are in for one hell of a ride."

"Can't wait."

The amount of intense, awkward silence was combined with the rising anticipation coming from each boy in the room. Marik, Ryou, Seto and Joey overheard the conversation between Yugi and Yami about where Seth went, and it didn't sound good. Just when anyone couldn't take it any longer, Seth entered through the doorway looking pleased with himself. Yami could immediately sense that two very dark auras had followed Seth, and he could only think of two possible victors.

Seth stepped aside and let his unknowns enter the room. One of them had wild, white-blonde hair, pupil less lavender eyes, gold jewelry, a skinny but muscular frame and tanned skin. He looked like he was out of his mind and his appearance didn't help at all. He wore a tight, black tank top with a black leather jacket and khaki trousers. The other was slightly shorter than the first. He had long, cymotrichous, spiky snow white hair, and a very slim frame. His eyes were a deep mahogany red, exiguous and his skin was the whitest shade of white. He wore a golden necklace with five prongs attached and wore a navy blue t-shirt with a black jacket and khaki trousers also. With the two of them together, it wasn't a very pleasant scene.

"Everyone, please meet Mariku and Bakura."

* * *

yupp, it was Seth who was at the door! ;)

thank you to **Rapid Puzzleshipper Saiko **for helping me rewrite my summary. it was looking a little unfitting for this story so she conjured something up for me and i tweaked it a bit

a lot of shit went down tonight, and more shit will go down in the next chapter. i have all these other things planned as well and it's going to be amaaaaazingggg.

hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Slán go fóill!~


	13. Mutual Feelings

*just a fair warning, there's a pretty explicit scene in the middle/end of this. you can skip it if you want, it won't make a difference

* * *

_Intro: Fed up with the atmosphere in the Muto household, Seth decided to bring in his own reinforcements to settle the situation. Yami is downright furious at Seth's reckless actions, as Bakura is a ruthless killer and Mariku is just as insane. With these two in the picture, things can always go terribly wrong. They all leave eventually, and things escalate for Yugi and Yami fairly quickly…_

* * *

"What the hell are you two doing here?" Yami sternly demanded, rising to his feet.

"I think that's the nicest way he's ever greeted us, don't you think Mariku?" Bakura snickered. Mariku didn't answer but instead laughed like a maniac.

"Long time no see, eh Yami?" Bakura coolly beamed, staring at his old companion.

"Bakura," Yami began. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I think it's obvious that Seth brought us here," he answered, glaring up at the manipulative brunette.

"I did not bring you here," Seth defended. "You know how and why you were brought here."

"You did not bring them with you from Cairo?" Yami said, confused.

"No I did not," Seth replied truthfully. "I sensed their auras a little while after I came here."

"Well if you did not bring them with you then why are they here?" Yami commanded.

"The same reason Seth is here," Mariku spoke up. "We came to see the Blessed One."

Yugi's head perked up when he heard Mariku speak of that name. They came all the way here just to see him? But why? Yami isn't even sure if Yugi really is the ancient being. They must have a reason...

"W-What makes you think the Blessed One is here?" Yami nervously questioned.

"You know how the legend goes," Bakura smirked, the look of mischief in his eyes. "The Blessed One possesses both its yami and hikari's personality. And when they have been found, the items passed down to us begin to glow more than they usually do."

"Then what force brought you here?"

"You did not let me finish," Bakura grimaced. "You see, I was with Mariku here in my study hall when my necklace and his earrings began to shine. A holographic object floated out of our items, and it looked a lot like your ring, Yami. It began to float around and didn't stop until it found the map in my library. It landed on the Japanese territory, in Domino City. We decided to go there, and now here we are in some weaklings home."

"Enough already! He is _not_ a weakling!" Yami shouted in frustration and anger. "I am completely fed up with all of your attitudes towards Yugi!"

"Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Bakura taunted.

Yami ignored Bakura's derision and thought to himself how much Bakura has changed. He was much worse back when Yami first met him: insane, murderous, irresponsible, maniacal and psychotic. Even though this may be still true, Yami could tell that there was something different about him. It was not something to celebrate, since Bakura is still his mental self. But there was something that Yami couldn't exactly pin point on him.

'_He has changed,_' Yami thought. '_But is it for the better, or for the worse?_'

"How many people have you killed over the years Bakura?" Yami suddenly proposed. Bakura looked at Yami and gave him a very eerie looking smile.

"About a hundred thousand, give or take." Yami smiled at him and Bakura frowned.

"You have changed Bakura," Yami mused, making Bakura scowl.

"I have not," he defended.

"Tell me Bakura. For every person you killed, did you feel remorse afterwards?"

Bakura was silent. He stared at Yami with emotionless eyes, while everyone else in the room turned their attention towards Bakura.

"You have, haven't you?"

"I have not!" Bakura shouted almost immediately.

"Do not deny it now Bakura," Yami said. "Denial will only make it worse."

"We are not here to discuss my murdering skills," Bakura shot. "We're here to see the so called Blessed One.

"But he is not here," Yami argued sternly.

"Then why would our items lead us here?!" Bakura yelled, running out of patience; and so was Yugi.

"Do not ask me! I am not the one who created them!"

"Do not try to-"

"Enough already!" Yugi interrupted from the living room. All eyes were on Yugi as he stood up and turned around to face the bickering individuals.

"Listen here you," Yugi addressed Bakura, walking towards him. "Don't speak to Yami that way. He's done nothing wrong but to try to help you back when you were all demented and irrational. But I can see that you're still the same. And to put your little mind to rest, _I_ am the Blessed One. So shut up about already, good god."

Yugi had shocked every person in the room with his little rant. They all looked at him with a stunned expression while Yugi held his head in his hands, clearly suffering from a headache. Nobody moved and nobody said a word; except for one poor unfortunate soul in particular. Bakura began to smile in a threatening way, and laughed like the lunatic he is.

"Yami, it seems that you need to keep a muzzle on this one," Bakura said, laughing at nothing. "Because if he doesn't, he might lose his tongue." Bakura's attitude changed from dark humour to dead serious as he pulled a switchblade from his back pocket. Mariku smirked evilly as Yami stood in front of Yugi, shielding him from Bakura.

"You will not touch him Bakura," Yami sneered.

"What makes you think you can stop me?" Bakura quibbled, inching closer towards the two look-a-likes.

"Because I do not think your hikari would appreciate it," Yami whispered, staring Bakura straight in the eyes.

Bakura stopped where he was and gave Yami a disapproving look.

"You lie," Bakura muttered hardly.

"I am not. See for yourself," Yami said, stepping away from Bakura's line of sight, taking Yugi with him. And there, sitting on the couch curled up against Marik who was embracing him protectively, was Ryou. Bakura took one look at him before narrowing his eyes bitterly, clearly not satisfied with the scene.

"What?" Marik hissed, concealing Ryou's face.

"Show me his face," Bakura calmly ordered.

"No," Marik fretted.

"Mariku, would you come and remove your hikari from mine?" Bakura asked, still staring at Ryou and Marik.

Mariku immediately ran to Bakura's side and looked down upon the two. His pupil less eyes broadened at the sight, curling his fingers into a fist.

"Gladly," Mariku growled, walking towards Marik and easily lifting him off of Ryou.

"Hey, let go of me!" Marik complained, wiggling around in Mariku's grip.

"I don't think so," Mariku whispered into Marik's ear, making the boy in his arms shiver. As Marik was struggling in Mariku's bone-crushing grasp, Bakura began to walk slowly towards the shaking little boy hiding his face in the couch.

"Don't go near him!" Yugi protested, grabbing onto Bakura's shoulder which made Bakura swing around and cut Yugi along his deltoid.

"Do not touch me," Bakura scolded. "Next time you do, I'll be aiming for your throat."

"Bakura!" Yami yelled.

Yugi didn't respond, didn't even flinch; he simply held his inflicted wound and stared Bakura down, determined to get him back. Bakura turned around and continued to walk towards Ryou.

"We have to stop him," Yugi whispered urgently. "I don't want him to hurt Ryou."

"Nor do I," Yami replied. "But we must wait. I want to see this."

Bakura stood in front of Ryou, staring down at his quavering light half.

"Show me your face," Bakura commanded. Ryou didn't respond; he kept his face hidden and ignored Bakura.

"Show me, your face," Bakura coldly demanded. "If you don't I'll have to make you. And I know you don't want that."

Ryou thought through Bakura's statement and decided that it was best if he did as he was told. Besides, he was going to have to show his face one time or another. So Ryou slowly peered through his fringe and peeked at Bakura. He looked pretty angry, but patient at the same time. Concluding that he was safe and calm enough that he wouldn't get upset if he did something wrong, Ryou revealed his full face to Bakura.

Ryou's big soft eyes fluttered a few times and he bit his lip. Bakura was taken aback by the amount of innocence and delicacy Ryou's face possessed. For the first time in his life, Bakura did not think of killing him. Yami knew that Bakura would kill his hikari once he found him, since he thinks the fact that a weaker version of himself exists is useless; that he's better off dead. But Bakura didn't think of that this time; no, he actually thought that Ryou was a gentle-like being so he decided to spare his life.

"Hmph," Bakura grunted, standing up.

"Something wrong?" Yami questioned. Bakura snapped his head in Yami's direction and gave him a glare.

"No," was the other's reply.

"Then why the long face?" Bakura again didn't respond but gave one last glance towards Ryou before putting his switchblade back in his pocket and walking away.

"Come on Mariku," Bakura hissed, heading for the door. Mariku grunted in disapproval, but nodded anyways.

"Fine, but I'm taking _this_ one with me," Mariku directed the squiggling Marik in his arms.

"No, leave him," Bakura said simply.

"Why not? I could use a slave."

"I said leave him."

"But-"

"Leave him!" Bakura screamed, giving Mariku a very venomous look. "We'll come back, I'm sure. But for now, leave him."

"Fine. But you're getting more than you would tonight," Mariku frowned, dropping Marik to the floor and joining Bakura at the door.

"I wouldn't expect any less," Bakura smirked, earning one in return.

Yugi walked from behind Yami and looked at him with a weird look. Yami looked back at him with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I think they are together," he whispered, barely audible.

"That's scary," Yugi murmured, shaking slightly from the thought.

Bakura had caught the little conversation Yugi and Yami had. He peeked through the corner of his eyes and gave the two one last glare before exiting Yugi's home with Mariku following close behind.

Yugi breathed a sigh of relief and turned around to face his friends. They all looked a little bit shaken up, specifically Joey; even though Bakura and Mariku had completely ignored him and Seto.

"You ok Joey? You look a little... sick," Yugi asked concerned.

"Actually," Joey began, but was cut off when he covered his hand over his mouth and dashing up the stairs into the bathroom.

"Guess that answers that," Marik commented, getting up off the ground only to sit back down beside Ryou.

"I'll go check on him," Seto said, getting up and heading upstairs.

"I hope he's okay," Ryou whispered.

"I've seen him act this way before," Marik sighed, remembering all the times where he found Joey emptying himself in the school bathrooms.

"Do you think there's something wrong with him?" Yugi asked.

"Maybe. I don't know what it may be, but it doesn't look good."

"Do you think he's pregnant?" Yugi guessed.

"If he is, then Seto'd be one hell of a father," Marik sarcastically remarked. "But I'm sure he'd stick with him to the end."

"I'd kill the child," Seth suddenly spoke up.

"Don't you have somewhere to be that isn't here making unnecessary comments?" Yugi coldly snapped, glaring at Seth.

"Actually yes I do. But it's much more fun being here," Seth replied, grinning.

"Get out," Yugi ordered.

"What makes you think you-"

"I said get out!" Yugi roared, making Yami flinch at his new found aggressiveness.

'_Maybe he really is the Blessed One,_' Yami thought. '_He sure has the anger and frustration that I possess._'

"You better watch your tone of voice," Seth warned. "You don't know who you can provoke with that attitude."

"I'm not afraid of you," Yugi annoyingly shot. "Now get out of my house."

"Or what? You'll shout at me some more?" Seth teased.

"Ok that is enough Seth," Yami cut in. "Do as he says."

"And why should I do that?"

"Because if you do not then I will throw you out myself. And we both know how that ended the last time you would not leave someone's home."

Seth scowled as he remembered how Yami forcefully threw him out of Yami's home by using his magic to have him dangling out of a window.

"And you dropped me," Seth said aloud, looking down at the floor and balling his hands into fists.

"But I did catch you at the last second," Yami reminded him. "But you will not be so lucky next time. Back then you would have fallen onto the grass. Now, you would be landing on rock hard concrete. So do not make me force you out of Yugi's home."

Seth looked from Yami to Yugi, and then drifted over to Marik and Ryou. He wondered why Bakura didn't kill him when he had the chance; Seth decided to use this question as the reason he will peacefully leave Yugi's home.

"Fine. I need to know why Bakura didn't kill that little rodent when he had the chance anyways," Seth confessed, making Marik get up in a fit of rage; but luckily Ryou held onto his hand to keep him in place.

"Hmm, pathetic mortals," Seth muttered before leaving and slamming the door behind him.

Marik calmed down once he left and laid his head against Ryou's as he sat back down. Yugi relaxed a little more as well, but he did receive a small headache from yelling so much. Seto and Joey emerged from upstairs, and Joey was looking a little pasty and in pain. Seto had his arm wrapped around Joey's waist, and Joey had his around Seto's waist also; his other hand was clutching his stomach.

"I'm taking Joey home," Seto announced, helping Joey towards the door.

"Are you ok Joey?" Yugi asked.

"Yeah I'll be fine. Jus a little food poisonin is all," he replied, his face distorting from the amount of discomfort his body was giving him.

"Feel better Joey!" Ryou called from the living room.

"Thanks Ry," Joey returned, smiling slightly.

"I hope your illness will not last too long," Yami added, feeling sorry for him.

Joey turned his head to face Yami. He looked like a concerned friend, and Joey decided that he wasn't so bad a person.

"Thanks," Joey answered. "Ya don't seem like such a bad guy. Take care of Yugi will ya? I'm sure he'll need it."

"It would be my pleasure," Yami replied, smiling at Joey.

"Come on now, we need to get you home," Seto urged. "Looks like no more Thai food for you."

"But it tasted so good," Joey pouted. "It jus had to do dis to me."

"Well there's plenty more of foods you can try. But for now, you need some rest."

"Are you stayin with me?"

"Where else would I go?"

Joey huffed out a laugh and gave one last goodbye to everyone before he and Seto headed home.

"Poor Joey," Yugi sympathized.

It was then that Ryou's cell phone went off, startling Yugi a bit as he cringed at the sound.

"It's my dad," Ryou whispered. "Everyone be quiet for a moment."

Marik, Yugi and Yami did as they were told as Ryou spoke with his father.

"Yes I'm still here... N-no everything's fine... Are you sure I-... O-okay okay fine. I'm leaving right now, I'll be home in a bit." Ryou ended the call and slipped his phone back in his pocket.

"Well he sounded like the happiest man in the world," Marik commented upon hearing the sound of Ryou's father's voice.

"He wants me to go home now," Ryou said while standing up and stretching.

"Well, I can't let you go alone so I'll walk you there," Marik offered, getting up as well.

"I'll be alright Marik," Ryou protested.

"I don't think so. I'm coming and there's nothing you can do about it. Thanks for the distraction Yugi," Marik added, hinting that he knew about Yugi's plan to get his mind off of his dyslexia.

"Uh, yeah, no problem Marik," Yugi laughed shakily. "S-see you tomorrow."

"Yeah sure. Come on Ryou, time to get you home before your dad has a fit." Marik took hold of Ryou's hand and led him to the door.

"Thanks Yugi. See you at school," Ryou got out before Marik slipped him behind the door.

"Well, that went as I had planned. Except for this cut on my arm I'd say it went well. And thanks for doing this Yami," Yugi thanked, wincing slightly at the pain in his arm.

"Any time Yugi. I think I should help you with that," Yami addressed Yugi's open wound.

"You don't have to, I can do it myself," Yugi yawned, wobbling a little from the amount of exhaustion he was feeling. Yami kept Yugi from falling back by taking hold of his waist and pulling him forward.

"You need rest Yugi," Yami observed. "I will help you with your arm, and then put you to bed."

"Thanks Yami," Yugi smiled dreamily.

"I would offer you my ring for it to heal, but I think you would like some sort of normalcy because of what happened tonight," Yami admitted while assisting Yugi up the stairs.

"I wouldn't use it anyway," Yugi confessed, yawning again.

"Why not?" Yami questioned, sounding a little hurt.

"I dunno. It just doesn't feel right that I would get an advantage when healing injuries while my friends wouldn't."

"You are a good person Yugi," Yami smiled, leading him into the bathroom and having him sit on the sink.

"You're not so bad yourself," Yugi laughed, clutching onto the sink for support.

"Do not strain yourself," Yami instructed.

"Ha, you're bossy when you're worried," Yugi advised, making a funny face at Yami.

"Are you feeling alright Yugi?" Yami asked, a little concerned about his behaviour.

"Oh yeah, I'm jim dandy! The bandages and scissors are in that cupboard over there," Yugi pointed towards the opposite end of the room. Yami went to the cupboard and retrieved the items he needed. He returned to Yugi and placed the items on the sink.

"If I am going to do this properly, you will need to remove your shirt Yugi," Yami explained.

"Alrighty then," Yugi cheered, flinging his arms up in the air waiting for Yami to take it off.

"Uhm, Yugi, what are you doing?" Yami asked, confused.

"Oh silly, you're supposed to take off my shirt!" Yugi giggled.

"O-okay."

Yami brought his hands to the hem of Yugi's shirt and pulled it over his head and placed it near the faucet.

"Oooh, Yugi's cold now," Yugi guffawed, hugging his body.

"Yugi are you sure you are alright? You are acting out of the ordinary. You are acting like a child," Yami confessed.

"Yugi is a-ok Yami-kun!" Yugi smiled wide, frightening Yami a little bit.

"'Yami-kun'?" Yami repeated. "Ok something is definitely wrong."

"Why would anything be wrong?" Yugi pondered, looking at Yami with his huge eyes.

"What could possibly be making you act this way?" Yami wondered aloud, observing Yugi's body. Yugi blushed as Yami kept staring at every inch of his tiny frame.

"I guess I will have to think about this another time. Right now, I need to clean you up."

Yami reached for the cloth that was placed on a hook attached to the wall, turned on the faucet and ran some water over the piece of material. He squeezed the cloth, and began to gently dab the blood sliding down Yugi's shoulder. Yugi squinted his eyes shut, as he could feel the pain increasing as Yami applied pressure.

"Does that hurt?" Yami asked, removing the cloth from Yugi's shoulder.

"Yugi will be okay," Yugi smiled innocently. Yami nodded his head and continued to clean the wound.

All the while Yami was cleaning and bandaging Yugi's shoulder, Yugi was staring at him. Yami noticed this and called him up on it.

"Like what you see?" he jested.

"Yami's pretty," Yugi said dreamily.

Yami stopped what he was doing and looked at Yugi, wondering why he would say that.

"T-thank you?" Yami sniffed, unsure of how to reply to Yugi's compliment.

"Yami's welcome!" Yugi chuckled.

Yami blushed for some unknown reason, and began to make some last adjustments to Yugi's shoulder before washing his hands and putting the materials he used back to where they belong. He turned around and saw that Yugi was pulling his pants down.

"Yugi what are you doing?" Yami spoke, clearly discombobulated.

"Yugi's getting ready for bed!" Yugi hollered. "Yugi always sleeps with no pants!"

Yami blinked a few times as he scanned Yugi up and down before stepping forward. He stood in front of Yugi and placed his hands on his hips and stared down at the younger.

"Is Yugi ready for bed now?" Yami questioned.

"Yes he is!" Yugi said with delight. Yami faced the other direction and began to walk away. He looked behind him, only to find Yugi sitting back on the sink counter.

"Yugi, are you coming?" Yami asked.

"Yugi wants to be carried to his bed!" Yugi explained, reaching out with his hands.

"You are one strange mortal," Yami said, strutting back towards Yugi. Yugi wrapped his arms around Yami's neck and his legs around his waist, while Yami supported him by sliding his hands under Yugi's butt and clasped his hands together. Yugi loosened his grip with his right hand, as his shoulder stung a little. Yugi stared into Yami's eyes and never really noticed how brightly they shown when light was surrounding them.

"You ok little one?" Yami queried.

"Yami has pretty eyes," Yugi stated.

"So does Yugi," Yami smiled, causing Yugi to blush.

"Are you ready for bed now?"

"Yugi needs one more thing."

"And what might that be?"

"This."

Yugi inched closer to Yami's face; Yami knew exactly what Yugi was doing, but he didn't back away. He wanted this too, but he wanted Yugi to remember this. He didn't know whether or not Yugi would remember what they were going to do, since whatever was making Yugi act like a three year old is unexplainable. Memory or not, Yami was doing to do this.

Yami closed his eyes and waited for Yugi's lips to meet his. Soon enough, Yami felt Yugi connect their lips and they both got lost in it. Yugi snaked his right hand up the back of Yami's head and grasped onto his hair. Yami pulled his left hand from under Yugi and brought it to his cheek to caress it gently. They turned their heads side to side, they opened and closed their mouths and they both panted before Yugi broke the kiss to come up for air.

Yami and Yugi rolled their heads back with their eyes closed, as they both sucked in the oxygen they needed. Yugi brought his head down first and Yami followed soon after and pressed his forehead against Yugi's.

"Bed?" Yami panted through half-lidded eyes.

"Yeah," Yugi agreed, breathing in and out and swallowing the saliva that had conjured inside his mouth.

Yami turned around for the last time and captured Yugi in another kiss; this time it was more aggressive. Peeking through his eyes, Yami navigated himself to Yugi's bedroom without breaking the kiss. He shoved open the bedroom door and shut it with a kick of his foot. Once placed inside, Yami walked to the foot of Yugi's bed and dropped the small boy onto the mattress. Yami stood up and ripped off the shirt Yugi let him borrow for when they were baking. Yugi drifted his eyes up and down Yami's half-naked body.

'_He looks resplendent in the moonlight,_' Yugi thought as he continued to roam his eyes over Yami's body.

"Enjoying the view?" he teased.

"Very much so," Yugi answered, reaching out his hands for Yami.

Yami happily let Yugi embrace him as he leant down to kiss him again. Yugi wrapped his arms around Yami's neck and closed his eyes as he kissed him back. Yami brought both of his hands under Yugi's back and tightened his grip as the kiss become deeper. He traveled his left hand up Yugi's back and held onto his neck, while using his right to hold him under his thighs. Yami lifted Yugi off the bed, and as he did so Yugi's neck was exposed and right in front of Yami's face. Yami took the liberty of gently attacking the bare flesh, biting down and sucking his handiwork while Yugi did nothing but gasp and throw his head back to let Yami treat it some more.

Yugi twisted Yami's hair with his hands as the feeling of the biting and sucking was overwhelming him. Yugi's breaths came out in short pants of pleasure and moaned as Yami continued to give him little love bites along his neck and began on his collarbone.

Yugi flung his legs out of Yami's grip and wrapped them around Yami's waist once more. Yugi and Yami's faces were now level with each other, so Yugi graciously began to kiss Yami and run his hands up and down his hair. Yami felt something press against his stomach, and smiled when he realized what it was.

"Somebody seems frustrated," Yami laughed.

"No, talk... just, kiss," Yugi said between breaths.

Yami held on to Yugi as he walked towards the side of Yugi's bed. He bit down on Yugi's bottom lip, asking for permission. Yugi answered by parting his lips to let Yami do as he pleases. Yami slowly and teasingly licked all along Yugi's lips before actually entering his mouth. It started out gentle; two tongues lightly playing with each other, until Yami finally used some of his strength to have a tongue war with Yugi. Just like last time, Yugi didn't let Yami win as he battled with all he had.

During battle, Yami used his toes to grasp onto the sweatpants that Yugi also let him borrow, and pulled them down around his ankles. He stepped out of them and kicked them away as laid Yugi on the bed with himself on top.

Yami brought his hands to Yugi's face and held it as he pushed his knees down on either side of Yugi's legs. Yugi trailed his nails down Yami's back, making Yami arch his back and grunt into the kiss. Yugi continued his light touches as Yami began to grind against the petit boy beneath him to get some sort of release.

Yugi gasped as he broke the kiss and turned his head to the side. Yami kept his pace as he began to give Yugi more love bites along his neck. Yugi hissed every time Yami would bite down harder on his sensitive skin and lift his hips into Yami's; which would make Yami smirk and lick from Yugi's collarbone to below his ear.

Yami moved his hands under Yugi's back and lifted him off the bed so they were both on their knees. Yami trailed light kisses along Yugi's neck, jaw and eventually found his way to his lips.

Both boys snaked their hands into the others hair and pushed their bodies together as they continued to grind against each other. Yugi wrapped his left leg around Yami's waist and flipped him over, so Yugi was topping. Yami didn't mind, as he simply moaned and groaned as Yugi took advantage of him now.

Yugi removed his hands from Yami's hair and reached above him to hold onto his headboard while he slowly moved his hips up and down Yami's torso.

"Yu... Yugi," Yami whispered, throwing his back into the pillows. Yugi huffed out a laugh as he stopped his grinding momentarily and lingered his fingers down Yami's chest.

"Tease," Yami whined, feeling the chills run down his spine. Yugi smiled at Yami's complaint, and slowly ran his nails down Yami's chest and stomach until he reached the waistband of Yami's boxers. Yugi looked up at Yami, and saw that he had his eyes closed and his mouth was gaping open.

Thinking of something better at the moment, Yugi decided to return the favour for when Yami gave him multiple markings on his neck. Yugi retreated his hands from Yami's boxers and instead intertwined each others' fingers. Yugi began to work his way up Yami's body by giving him little kisses along his stomach, and stopped when he had reached his chest. Yugi raised their hands above Yami's head, and without warning, engulfed Yami's right nipple into his mouth.

Yami gasped in surprise and looked down at Yugi to see him swirling his tongue around the erect piece of flesh.

"Gaaahhhhh," Yami moaned, wrapping his legs around Yugi's waist.

"Look who's frustrated now," Yugi taunted, moving on to play with Yami's left nipple.

Yugi used the tip of his tongue to swirl around the hard nub before biting down ever so gently, making Yami arch his back in pleasure.

Not finished with his torture yet, Yugi raised his head and dove into the crook of Yami's neck, biting and sucking aggressively. Yami opened his eyes and kept his yelling to a minimum as Yugi expertly gave him a bruising love bite.

'_Oh Ra, it sure pays good to be a masochist,_' Yami thought, rolling his eyes back.

Yugi bit down harder than he should have, as a few drops of blood slid down Yami's neck. Yugi licked the inflicted wound, swallowing the blood in the process. It didn't exactly taste good, as Yugi distorted his face as the blood rested on his tongue. But after a few seconds of getting used to it, Yugi didn't mind.

Yugi kissed the spot where he had bitten down so hard to make Yami bleed, and kissed his way up to meet Yami's lips again, leaving blood stains on his face.

Yugi gently gave Yami a peck on the lips, leaving the blood silently resting in place. Yami voluntarily licked his lips, tasting himself in the process.

"Hm, I taste good," Yami chuckled, licking his lips some more.

"You're not too bad if I do say so myself," Yugi concurred. "Now, let's get these off shall we?"

Before Yami knew it, Yugi had torn away Yami's boxers and his own, tossing them aimlessly to the bedroom floor.

Yami breathed in as the cool air in Yugi's room brushed over his erection. Yugi traced his nails along Yami's sides as he traveled down his torso to his true destination. Yami arched his back again, and laid his legs out straight; he flung his hands to the bedding below him and gripped tightly onto the sheets.

Yugi was now face-to-face with Yami's erection, and boy was he going to have one hell of a time with it.

Yugi blew cold air over Yami's length, causing Yami to curl his toes and moan in the back of his throat. Yugi blew on it one last time before stopping at the bottom, using the tip of his tongue to trail himself all the way up Yami's length, as lightly as he possibly could.

Yami looked as if he was having a seizure from the way he was squirming beneath Yugi. He was slamming his fists on the bed, bending and extending his legs and panting like there was no tomorrow.

"You're so squeamish," Yugi observed, continuing to glide his tongue around. Yami's face looked as if he was in pain, as his lips were thinned out and his eyes were squeezed shut. Feeling merciless, Yugi took all of Yami into his mouth, making Yami scream his name.

"You are terrible," Yami spat while violently shaking his head.

"My pleasure," Yugi seductively returned.

Yugi took his sweet time as he sucked Yami off. Since Yami gave all the pleasure to Yugi last time, Yugi decided to give him something back.

Yugi slowly deep throated Yami, being careful not to gag and possibly throw up. Once he found he was comfortable, Yugi hummed in the back of his throat. Instead of Yugi making gagging noises, it was Yami who sounded as if he was choking. He tried his best not to raise his hips off the bed, as he didn't want to hurt Yugi. Deciding to take his actions further, Yugi clearly exposed his teeth for Yami to see and slowly scraped his teeth along Yami's length. Yami took sharp breaths as Yugi made it to the top and began to swirl his tongue around some more. Yami could feel the tightening in his stomach and the precum leaking out of him.

"Y-Yugi, I-I need t-to..." Yami couldn't find the strength or breath in himself to finish his sentence. Yugi knew Yami was close to his end; feeling sympathetic for the first time tonight, Yugi quickly finished his work by pumping Yami as fast as he could in time with himself. Yami screamed Yugi's name as he came all over Yugi's body, including his face. Yugi came shortly after, moaning Yami's name and collapsing on top of him.

The only noise that could be heard afterwards was the heavy pants and swallowing of saliva. Both boys were exhausted, and they needed a major clean up.

"I think-haa-we should-haa-get cleaned up," Yami said in between breaths.

"Agreed," Yugi concurred, pushing himself off of Yami and rolling off the bed onto the floor. He landed with a loud thump and rubbed his head as he sat up.

"Are you alright?" Yami chuckled, peering over the side of the bed.

"Just peachy," Yugi replied. "How about that bath?"

Yugi took Yami by the hand and led him into the bathroom. Yugi placed the plug into the tub and turned on the hot water and threw in some crystals. He laid out a towel on the floor and grabbed another two for Yami and himself. He turned off the tap and stuck his hand in to see if it was ready, and climbed in when it was.

"Isn't Yami coming in?" Yugi questioned, looking up at Yami.

"I guess so," Yami said, stepping over the tub into the water, sitting opposite of Yugi.

The hot water dripped over their sweaty skin, removing all the unwanted dirt and semen from their bodies.

The bubbles began to form in large amounts as Yugi and Yami splashed the water around. Soon enough, the tub was engulfed with the big foamy substance. Yugi immediately began to play with them; blowing them around and putting some on his face. Yami watched in amusement, flicking around some bubbles every once in a while. Yugi took a handful of bubbles and blew them in Yami's direction. Yami squinted his eyes shut at the last second and thinned his lips to avoid having bubbles go into his mouth. Yugi laughed as the bubbles landed on Yami's face, and Yami's expression made it even funnier.

"You think this is funny do you?" Yami mused, wiping away the bubbles at his mouth.

"Yes Yugi does!" Yugi cheered, clapping his hands.

"Well, I guess it will be funnier if I do this," Yami began, splashing a large amount of bubbles and water into Yugi's face. Yugi shielded himself from the attack, crossing his arms over his face and closing his eyes and mouth. Yugi rubbed his face and spit out the contents that unfortunately had entered his mouth. Yugi pouted at Yami when he removed the foamy substance from his face. Yami simply laughed at him, making Yugi pout even more. Yugi was planning on splashing him back, but he wasn't exactly in the mood for a bath war at the moment. Instead, he closed his eyes and smiled as he dipped his body lower into the water. Yami smiled and sighed at the sight, happy with himself that he gets to watch over this boy.

Yami repeated Yugi's actions by slipping under the water and rested his head against the tub walls. It looked as though they were both sleeping; their calm expressions and the light rise and fall of their chests. But they both knew better.

Yugi peeked through his eyes and noticed that Yami had his eyes closed. Yugi carefully slid over next to Yami, laid his head on his chest and closed his eyes once more. Yami lifted his head up and looked down at the little boy resting on him.

'_He is to die for,_' Yami thought blissfully, kissing Yugi on the forehead and wrapping his arms around him. Yugi smiled wider at the embrace, rubbing his face against Yami's skin.

"Is Yugi clean now?" Yami whispered, scared that if speaking too loud would cause a natural disaster.

"Yugi is clean now," Yugi said, looking up at Yami tiredly.

"Time to get you to bed then."

Yami hoisted Yugi off of him and got out of the tub and grabbed a towel to wrap his lower section. He turned around to see Yugi reaching out for him. Yami smiled kindly as he took hold of Yugi's hands and brought him out of the tub, wrapping a towel around him. Yugi reached into the tub and pulled out the plug, placing it on the ground.

Yami unexpectedly grabbed Yugi from under his legs making him yelp in surprise and began to carry him to his room. Yugi giggled like an idiot as he snuggled Yami's neck with his face.

Yami entered Yugi's room once more, gently laying Yugi down on his bed.

"Where does Yugi keep extra blankets?" Yami queried.

"In the hall closet," said Yugi cheerfully. Yami smiled childishly and blushed slightly as he walked out of the room to retrieve some fresh blankets.

When Yami returned Yugi was fast asleep. Yami laughed lightly at the sight, and set the blankets down on the ground. He pulled Yugi's sheets off the bed and onto the floor, replacing it instead with a blanket he received from the hall closet. He removed Yugi's towel before pulling the blanket on top of him and kissing his forehead before leaving. When he was about the close the door, Yugi spoke up.

"Don't go," he said. "Yugi doesn't want Yami to go."

"I thought Yugi was asleep," Yami pointed out, stepping back into the room.

"Yugi feels lonely without Yami beside him," Yugi confessed, looking sad.

"Yugi does not have to be alone. Does Yugi want Yami to stay?"

"Yugi wants Yami to stay!" Yugi agreed, stretching his arms out as an invitation. Yami gladly accepted as he waltzed over towards Yugi, slipping into his bed and wrapping his arms around his as Yugi laid his head on his chest.

"Yugi wants Yami to stay," Yugi yawned, slowly closing his eyes.

"Yami wants to stay too," Yami whispered, softly stroking Yugi's hair.

"Forever and ever," Yugi added before finally falling asleep.

"Me too Yugi, me too." And with that, Yami fell asleep while listening to the soft breaths of Yugi.

* * *

daaawh wasn't that cute? ^.^

don't worry fellow readers, Mariku, Bakura and Seth will be back ;)

i loved writing this chapter. it was so cutesy and fluffy... oh yeah, and full of sex. wow my first sex scene, i was laughing the whole time ohmygawd.

well, here's to another chapter!

잠옷 밤 ~


	14. Unfriendly Visitors

_Intro: On the best night of his life, Yami is sleeping soundlessly with Yugi in his arms. Yami doesn't remember any other day where he was happy as he is now. When Yugi wakes up in the morning, Yami makes sure that he is safe and functioning well before he leaves for school. While Yugi is away for a few hours, Yami does a bit of light snooping. Yami is interrupted as he receives some unwanted guests, and the situation takes a turn for the worst…_

* * *

It was past one o'clock in the morning when Yami was awoken by the stirring Yugi in his arms. He looked down and saw that Yugi was shrugging himself in Yami's arms. He was making uncomfortable moaning noises as well.

"Are you ok little one?" Yami whispered, moving pieces of Yugi's hair out of his face. Yugi's answer was to cringe his face and curl up into a ball.

Yami slid down under the blanket and snuggled closer to Yugi, hoping to calm him from whatever discomfort he was experiencing.

'_Probably a nightmare,_' Yami thought, softly stroking Yugi's face.

Yugi whimpered in his sleep, causing Yami to quietly whisper soothing words in his ear.

"Shhh, it is alright Yugi, you are safe. Nobody is going to hurt you."

It seemed to help a little bit. Yugi stopped twitching, but he continued to moan and began to murmur.

"Hmm, no, stop, please," Yami heard Yugi plea.

"Shhh Yugi. I am here, you are not alone," Yami soothed.

"N-no, get away from me," Yugi croaked, kicking his feet and burying his face in Yami's chest.

"Yugi, calm down. I am here, Yami is here."

"Get away from me!" Yugi shouted, tears falling down his face. Yami laid Yugi's head on the bed and scooted out of the blanket and kneeled on the floor.

"Yugi, Yugi wake up," Yami said, shaking Yugi's arm.

"Get off of me!" Yugi cried, ripping his arm away from Yami.

"Yugi, please wake up," Yami urged, shaking Yugi's upper body.

"No! Please stop!" Yugi yelled, now flailing his body all over the place.

"Yugi please wake up!" Yami shouted, scared out of his mind.

"No no no no no noooo!" Yugi screamed, shaking his way up the bed as he woke up. Panting, sweating and feeling in pain, Yugi looked as if he had just experienced running for his life. Yami looked just as bad, but he was more calm now since Yugi was awake.

"Yugi?" Yami called out.

Yugi snapped his head in Yami's direction noticed that he was naked, and he instantly backed away.

"Yugi, it is me, Yami," Yami said, stepping closer.

"Get away from me," Yugi cried, not recognizing the voice and the fact that the darkness consumed most of Yami's face.

"Yugi, it's Yami. I am not going to hurt you," Yami said while climbing onto the bed.

"D-don't come any closer," Yugi warned, making contact with the wall.

"Yugi please," Yami begged, reaching out a hand.

"N-no, no. D-don't touch me. Don't touch me!" Yugi pleaded, shielding his face with his arms.

"Yugi I am not going to hurt you!" Yami begged, trying to get Yugi to calm down.

'_Wait, I know that voice,_' Yugi thought, peeking through his arms to confirm his hunch. And there Yami was, reaching out for Yugi with the look of fear on his face.

"Yami!" Yugi exclaimed, flinging his arms around Yami's neck. Yami wrapped his arms around Yugi's body, squeezing tightly.

"Yugi are you alright?" Yami asked, his voice cracking from the tears.

"I am now," Yugi whispered, crying into Yami's shoulder.

"You sounded distraught in your sleep Yugi. My best inference is that you were having a nightmare," Yami observed, rubbing Yugi's back.

"I was so scared," Yugi sniffed. "I don't want to see him again."

"Who Yugi?"

"The man who raped me."

Yami widened his eyes at the statement, but did not panic. He kept his composure and continued to soothe Yugi with his words and hands.

"Shhhh Yugi it's ok. I am here, no one is going to hurt you. That man cannot hurt you anymore."

"I'm sorry," Yugi apologized.

"What could you possibly be sorry for?" Yami questioned.

"For not telling you that I was raped a few years ago when you asked me if I had been hurt physically by another person," Yugi sobbed.

"Do not worry about it," Yami assured. "I would not think that you would have told me when I asked. I was sure that there was something you did not wish to tell me at the time, so I waited patiently for when you were ready."

"Thanks," Yugi choked out.

"No problem Yugi," Yami consoled. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"N-not tonight," Yugi confessed. "Maybe tomorrow if I'm up for it."

"Take your time Yugi. There is absolutely no rush," Yami succored. "Just go back to sleep. I am sure you will be alright in the morning."

"Thanks Yami. And if I don't get up when that clock over there says 6:10, could you wake me up?" Yugi asked, lying down against Yami once more.

"Sure thing Yugi," Yami smiled, gently stroking Yugi's face as they both fell asleep.

* * *

Yugi's alarm clock rang at 6:05 in the morning, and Yami was less than happy about it.

"Damn noisy thing," he chided, rubbing his eyes. He looked down to see Yugi laying face-down, sprawled about his stomach. Yami smiled at him, amused that Yugi was laid out in such a position.

"Yugi, time to wake up," Yami piped up, shaking Yugi. Yugi's response was to groan in annoyance and roll over.

"Ah ah ah, I do not think so Yugi," Yami playfully scolded him. "It is time to get up." Yugi muffled something that Yami couldn't quite make out, so he asked him to repeat it.

"I said, 'wake me up when I care'," Yugi explained.

"Well you should care Yugi," Yami told him. "I am sure whatever you have to do at this monstrous hour is important."

"It's just school," Yugi said. "Not important in my books. But I do have to get up if I don't wanna fail."

"Then let's go. Get up," Yami pried.

"Noooo," Yugi whined, burying his face in Yami's stomach.

"Yugi it is 6:10 right now," Yami pointed out.

"So?"

"So, you told me to get you up at this time," Yami reminded him. "Yugi come one. Do not make me make you get up. I am sure that you would not want to miss whatever this school thing is."

"You're kidding," Yugi breathed, finally sitting up and looking tiredly at Yami. "You seriously have no idea what school is?"

"Well, I have heard of it, but I do not know exactly what it is," Yami confessed.

"Looks like I'm gonna have to teach you about modern life," Yugi analyzed.

"Maybe you could take me with you!" Yami suggested. "To this school thing."

"Nooo way Yami, that is not happening," Yugi disapproved, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

"Why not?" Yami argued.

"Because," Yugi began, getting out of bed to gather his uniform. "It's unnecessary and everyone will be busy staring at you and wondering why I haven't mentioned that I have an older brother."

"Why would that possibly ask that?" Yami pondered

"Besides," he continued, ignoring Yami's question. "School is the most boring thing you will ever experience. For one, all you do is sit in a desk for six hours and listen to a teacher drone on and on about a specific subject. Whether it be math, science, history, english or whatever I really don't care. You just sit there with a dumb look on your face, wondering why in the world you are where you are. And not to mention all the idiots you're surrounded by. Some of them aren't half bad, until they constantly bug you and ask you things you wouldn't think twice about. And then there's-"

"Now why would you be sent to a place that sounds so... so-"

"Pathetic? Stupid? Annoying? Idiotic? A juvenile prison?" Yugi intervened.

"I was going to say boring or mediocre," Yami said. "And, a juvenile prison? What makes you say that?"

"Well, there's also certain people who think that they can take advantage of others by threatening them and beating them up when things don't go their way," Yugi answered, whispering the last parts. He picked up his jacket from the floor, slid it on and began to walk downstairs. Yami sat there still on the bed, wondering why Yugi would go to a place so dangerous.

'_What are these people thinking?_' Yami thought, completely dumbfounded. He got out of Yugi's bed, still stark naked, and headed in Yugi's direction. He found Yugi sitting at the kitchen table, eating cereal with a fork.

'_How strange. I have always seen humans eat with that round utensil, not the pointy one._'

Yami stepped down the stairs and joined Yugi. Yugi didn't notice Yami sitting across from him until he heard him clear his throat. He looked up from his bowl, and saw Yami sitting straight up with his hands clasped together.

"Yes?" Yugi spat, trying not to sound too annoyed.

"I was wondering why you are eating with that," Yami asked, nodding his head in the direction of Yugi's breakfast.

"Because I can," was Yugi's answer.

"I just thought that most humans eat that type of food with a spoon," Yami confessed.

"Well I'm not most humans," Yugi explained, taking another bite of his cereal.

"I can see that."

They sat in silence for a while. Yugi eventually got up and placed his bowl and fork in the sink when he was finished. It was only when Yugi turned around to head back upstairs that he noticed Yami was still naked.

"Uhm, pants would be nice," Yugi suggested, keeping his eyes on Yami's face.

"Does this bother you?" Yami asked.

"W-well, uhm, n-not really but... Could you please just put something on?" Yugi whined.

"As you wish," Yami blissed, taking his time to return to Yugi's bedroom. Yugi couldn't help but stare at Yami's behind as he walked up the stairs. He felt a hot blush spread across his cheeks and quickly looked away.

'_Control Yugi, control,_' Yugi told himself, returning to the kitchen to prepare his lunch. He looked to his left and noticed that it was 6:35. He was going to be late again if he didn't hurry.

"I gotta get better at this," Yugi said to himself, placing the last of his lunch in his bag.

"Hey Ya-owww." Yugi's sentence was cut short by the sudden pain in his neck. He walked over to the microwave, and looked at his reflection. He didn't quite see anything around his neck, so he pulled his collar back to have a clearer view. And there, right underneath his jaw line, was a bruise the size of a tangerine.

'"Juuust perfect," Yugi slurred. "How am I gonna hide this?" Yugi tried fiddling with his collar in hopes of covering up the blemish, but it was no use; it wasn't going away anytime soon.

"Well I can't wear a scarf again. That was stupid enough the first time. What am I going to do?"

As Yugi tried to think of a solution, the answer hit him when he least expected it. Yugi slapped his forehead as he muttered his solution. "My choker."

Sighing annoyingly at himself, Yugi skipped up the stairs and retrieved his beloved belt and slid it on his neck in its original position, which covered the bruise completely.

"Thank god," Yugi breathed, allowing himself to relax now that the problem was solved. He didn't notice, however, Yami standing under his skylight with his eyes closed. When he did notice Yugi fell to the floor from surprise which caught Yami's attention.

"Hmm? Oh, Yugi. I thought you would have left by now."

Yugi got up off the floor, yawning a bit, and turned around to face Yami. "Well I would've but I needed something to cover the bruise on my neck," Yugi responded.

"Oh, I apologize for biting so hard," Yami said softly, raising his head up to the skylight again.

"Why do you do that?" Yugi questioned, walking towards his bedroom door.

"I have already told you why, Yugi. It is t-"

"-to suck in Ra's warmth I remember now." Yami smiled slightly as Yugi finished his sentence for him. When he thought he had left Yugi spoke up again.

"Look, I don't know what this is and I may never know," he began. "But what this is going to be, I don't know whether to be happy or scared. I don't quite fully trust you Yami, so you're gonna have to prove to me that I can. I feel better with you around yes, but that doesn't mean I'm not suspicious of you. I'm not saying that you're a bad person is all. I know you're a good person from what I've seen, it's just... I just need to get to know you better. And I'll give you that chance when I have the time. But for now I really gotta go. So I'll see you when I get home. Feel free to eat what you want, and try not to break anything."

And with that Yugi scampered down the stairs, grabbed his lunch and stuffed it in his bag and rushed out the door to go meet up with Joey. Yami stood there still, under Yugi's skylight, basking in the warmth of the Sun. He hadn't quite paid attention to Yugi when he rambled on, but his unconscious mind did and it was going to remind him a little later on.

* * *

When Yugi got to his usual meeting spot with Joey, Joey wasn't there.

'_Where is he? He's always here before I am,_' Yugi thought worriedly. Yugi waited around for a few more minutes before he eventually began to walk to school by himself. He couldn't help but over think all the possible things that could've happened to Joey.

"Maybe he broke his leg... or he hit his head and fell into a coma... or a grand piano fell on him... ok no that's just stupid."

Yugi continued to walk along, thinking about where Joey could be and what made him not go to school today. It was when Yugi was at his locker when reality hit him.

"Food poisoning," Yugi muttered, face palming himself. "And I bet Seto is with him too. Guess it's just me, Ryou and Marik." The morning bell rang, making Yugi go immediately to his first period class.

* * *

Yugi could barely keep his eyes open during his classes. He'd close his eyes for a moment before being rudely awakened by his teacher.

"Yugi if you do not stay awake I will have to send you to the office," Yugi's Math teacher spoke.

"Sorry. I'll try to stay awake."

His teacher gave him an irritated look that showed him that he wasn't satisfied with Yugi's answer, but nodded his head anyways and returned to the front of the classroom to continue with the lesson. Yugi placed a hand in his face and stared out the window, thinking about what Yami was doing at the moment.

'_Probably bored out of his mind,_' Yugi guessed. '_Can't blame him. There's not much to do during the day when you're home alone._'

Yugi sighed to himself and turned his head to face the front. His eyes were drooping again, but Yugi fought against the urge to close them and made himself stay awake for the rest of the class.

* * *

It was nearing eleven o'clock in the morning when Yami finally decided to do some polite snooping; he make sure to keep away from all the things he thought was a personal matter. He explored the rest of Yugi's house; from down in the basement where the laundry room was to the shop's storage closet next to Solomon's bedroom. Yami avoided Yugi's grandfather's room since it was disrespectful to go through an elder's personal items. Yami knew that it was disrespectful all together to be inspecting someone's home, but he clearly had nothing better to do. Besides, it's not that Yugi wouldn't mind.

"Yugi," Yami said to himself while searching through the storage room for something interesting. "He's very strange. But in a good way. Very confused and loyal as well. Angry at times, but gentle all around. Caring, sweet, direct, intelligent, aggressive and emotional. Ok, I am convinced. Yugi Muto is the Blessed One."

Yami let his thoughts scatter as he continued to rummage through the various boxes and cupboards in the storage closet. He came across three un-opened boxes, placed beside each other in the far corner. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, Yami knelt down and began to pull the tape off the boxes. When he opened the first one, he found that it was full of a variety of monster cards. Yami narrowed his eyes and took a closer look at them. He didn't recognize what they were, so he looked in the other two boxes only to find that they were piled with many more similar cards.

"What are these?" he said to himself, picking up a packet with forty Duel Monsters inside.

"Big Shield Gardna?" Yami said, reading the name of the monster. "Never heard of it."

Yami went through many more packets from each box, and even though he didn't know what they were or what their purpose was, he took a liking to a few he found: Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, Kuriboh, Celtic Guardian, Curse of Dragon, Summoned Skull, Gaia the Fierce Knight, Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts, along with Swords of Revealing Light, Mirror Force and Scapegoat.

Yami was so intrigued by all these cards that he didn't hear the sound or sense the aura of two immortals entering Yugi's home. He only realized their presence when he heard a shout emerge from one of them. Yami placed the cards on the ground and opened the door to step outside. He tip-toed down the hallway until he was at the top of the staircase. He looked down, and found Bakura and Mariku standing beside each other, looking very eager.

"Well well well looks who's decided to appear," Bakura snickered, an evil look written on his face.

"What are you doing here?" Yami questioned, crossing his arms over his bare chest.

"To finish what we started last night of course," Bakura replied, smirking.

"Well I am sorry to inform you that Yugi and his friends are not here," Yami pointed out, walking down the stairs with a determined look on his face.

"We figured that much," Mariku spoke up. "Those brats wouldn't be in their right mind if they were to come back here again."

"And why is that?" Yami asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Because it's not safe for them here anymore," Bakura explained.

"How do you figure?" Yami queried, turning his attention to his psychotic companion.

"As long as we're around, no one is safe," Mariku sneered.

"Well, as long as I am here, you two will not cause harm to any human living in this city," Yami coldly shot.

"Do you know how long it has been since I've killed someone, Yami?" Bakura began, walking behind Yami. When Bakura received no answer, he continued. "Three days. That's how long it has been since I have ripped apart the bloody flesh of those worthless mortals."

"It would have turned into one day Bakura, had you decided to not kill your hikari," Yami retorted, making Bakura go silent. "What made you decide to spare his life hmm? Is it because you are waiting for the right moment to tear him to shreds, or, for the first time in a long time I am sure, you actually care about the life of another being apart from yourself? Much less a mortal. Which one is it?"

Bakura remained silent, unmoving and unwilling to admit the truth. It is true that Bakura didn't kill Ryou because he couldn't bring himself to. Ryou had the face of a frightened child when Bakura had a first glance at his face. Upon seeing that fear and the amount of innocence he possessed, Bakura fought with his decision to kill him right there and then. A part of Bakura said 'Kill him. Kill him now,' while another part of him said 'Spare his life. Let him live another day.' Although these were major factors of Bakura's reason to not take another life that day, there was also something else that Bakura saw in Ryou's eyes that made him decide not to kill him. He saw the face of someone who he thought he was never going to see again: his brother.

Yami was waiting for an answer, even though he already knew the reason why Bakura didn't kill Ryou. But he needed to hear it from Bakura's own voice.

"I am waiting Bakura," Yami urged, turning his head to face him. Bakura didn't look up; he kept his face hidden with his hair and balled his hands into fists. "I know what you are thinking Bakura. You could not find the strength in yourself to take away the life of that boy. Excuse me, _your hikari_. You second guessed yourself; you doubted your ability to be as ruthless killing machine. You have _changed_ Bakura, I can see that. You could not complete the task you promised yourself you would do because one look at that boy made you realize that not everyone deserves to die. Not everyone is a thief, an adulterer or a serial killer like you. Oh no; you are so blinded by the fact that you think every human deserves to die that you do not even consider the possibility that that person has a family. A _family_ Bakura. Brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, mothers, fathers, grandparents and so on. Something I know you lost a long time ago."

This made Bakura stiffen in anger. He doesn't appreciate it when people spoke of his family. That was a private matter for Bakura, and the slightest mention of it made him extremely pissed off.

"Bakura, you need to understand the value of human life. Think before you act. Every time you kill someone, your reckless actions affect your victim's family. You are causing an immense amount of pain to those poor families who have to go the rest of their lives without one of their loved ones. That kind of pain you know all too well."

Bakura finally lost his cool as Yami finished his attempt to get a positive response out of him. Instead of confessing to Yami, Bakura cut him along his cheek with his switchblade that he pulled from his pocket at lightning speed. Yami expected more of Bakura, but he couldn't blame him. His talk of Bakura's family set him off in an obvious negative way.

Yami brought his hand to his face, and noticed that the cut hasn't healed yet as his blood flowed down his fingers. Yami narrowed his eyes as he turned to look at Bakura, who had a dark smirk on his face as he brought his blade to his mouth. He took one slow lick from the piece of metal and let the blood flow down his lips.

"Looking for something?" Bakura teased, fingering the blood in his hands. Yami looked down at his own hands and noticed that his ring wasn't there. He snapped his head up to see Bakura fiddling with it as his blood smeared across its features.

"Give it back Bakura," Yami demanded, holding out his hand.

"Now why would I do that?" Bakura pondered, moving around Yami. "You'll survive. Your power stays with you even if you're not wearing it. It'll heal eventually. Besides, you don't need it anymore. With all the time you're spending with those parasites, you might as well be one of them."

And with that Bakura motioned Mariku to follow him down the stairs to leave.

"I wonder what your family would think of you right now Bakura," Yami tempted, making Bakura freeze half-way down the steps. "Especially your brother. Just imagine what he would think of you as the person you are today. Just think about the amount of disappointment he would feel seeing his big brother as a heartless, relentless, cruel assassin that he turned into. Whatever happened to that kind, caring, loving child that you used to be? Where is he? I would l-"

Yami was cut short by the sudden stabbing pain in his stomach. He looked down to see Bakura's switchblade placed sturdily in his lower abdomen. Yami breathed in deeply before slowly taking it out. However, Bakura roughly ripped it out of Yami for him. Yami grunted and squinted his face in pain, as the removal caused the wound to enlarge.

"Make one more reference to my family, and I swear on my life I will kill you slowly and painfully. And when you're at your most vulnerable, and you're begging for mercy, that's when I'll slice through you so slowly that your insides will burn. And I promise you that."

Yami could only blink in disbelief and pain as Bakura walked out that door, taking his ring with him. He had never seen Bakura act so rashly towards him before. Even when Bakura was with Yami for one of his sessions, Bakura never tried to hurt Yami; not even unintentionally. But right now, at this moment, Bakura had practically tried to kill Yami, and so far, it was working.

Yami collapsed to the ground, his back against the couch, clutching his stomach. He was losing a lot of blood, and it pooled beneath him. The first thing that came to his mind was what Yugi was going to say when he got home.

'_He is definitely going to kill me,_' he thought, slightly laughing to himself. Yami had no idea what he was going to do with himself. He was losing blood fast, but he was confident in his ring's power that he would survive this. He had to survive this. There is no question about it. The death of Yami would take a toll on Yugi, even if he wasn't sure of his feelings.

"I think it is best that I just lay here until my body heals itself," Yami concluded, sliding down to situate himself on the floor. "No matter what happens."

As Yami began to rest, he didn't realize that Bakura had unexpectedly left his ring placed on the kitchen table.

* * *

It was nearing two o'clock in the afternoon as Yugi sat impatiently in his sixth period class. He was right about Joey having food poisoning and Seto staying with him, as he received a text from Joey during fourth period explaining the situation. Yugi would rather have uncomfortable stomach pains than be forced to sit in an isolated classroom filled with morons who feel the need to annoy you in every way possible.

At the moment, Yugi was keeping his eyes on the clock above the blackboard, watching the seconds tick by slowly. He couldn't wait to get out of there.

'_Just a few more minutes Yugi and you'll be home free,_' Yugi encouraged himself. '_You can do this. Just don't think about wanting to leave; that'll only make time go by even slower._'

Yugi fiddled with his long, blond bangs as he attempted to maintain his composure during this bore of a lesson. The voice of his teacher droned on and on but Yugi wasn't paying attention. It just flowed in one ear and out the other, completely oblivious to his surroundings. He just wanted to go home. He wanted his nice warm bed, his nice fatty junk food and his precious Duel Monsters cards; he wanted the comfort of his home. Oh, and Yami too; can't forget about him.

Yugi's thoughts drifted to Yami as he remembered that he was still living under his roof. His mind brought him back to the moment where he was pleasuring Yami. Oh what fun that was.

'_Why did I even do that?_' Yugi thought. '_Why didn't I stop? I'm fifteen years old! I shouldn't be doing shit like that!_' Sighing to himself, Yugi slumped down in his chair and hung his head as he pretended to listen to his teacher. His teacher noticed this, but she didn't call him up on it. She was going to wait until the end of class to ask him about his behaviour.

As the bell finally rang, and everyone was packing away their things, Yugi's teacher called him up to the front of the classroom. Yugi widened his eyes as he looked up at his teacher, and as he reluctantly slugged his way to the front of the class, he gave an exaggerated sigh as he stood in front of her desk.

"Yugi, are you feeling alright?" she asked.

"Yes," Yugi tiredly replied.

"I have noticed that you are acting more distant than usual," she observed. "You're not participating much in class, you seem to daydream often and you're falling behind with your homework. Why is this Yugi?"

Yugi had to think of something reasonable to tell her, since telling the truth about why he was so distracted would sound a little suspicious.

"Uhm, I-I'm just a little bummed out that my jii-chan is still at his convention for the shop I guess," Yugi tried. "And he won't be coming back until Saturday or Sunday at the latest."

Yugi's teacher thought over Yugi's words before unwillingly letting Yugi go. Yugi thanked the gods that she did, and bowed to her before heading for his locker as quickly as possible before walking home. Yugi chucked his belongings in his locker once he arrived and shut it aggressively. He turned around, only to walk into somebody. Yugi muttered his apologies and walked around the unknown individual in direction of the school's front doors. Unfortunately for him, the man Yugi ran into wasn't about to leave him alone.

* * *

Yugi was walking faster than usual as he made his way home. It may have been the fact that Yami was still in his home, and he had no idea what he had been doing. Yugi thought about some possible ideas of what Yami did while he was at school, but nothing prepared him for what he was about to see.

Yugi made it home before three, and he was more than happy about it. He was feeling more tired these days and he didn't know why. He thinks it's just because it's a regular teenager thing; with waking up early in the morning and not getting enough sleep. This may be true, but the reason why he wasn't getting enough sleep was self-explanatory. Yami was with him and all those thoughts about him kept Yugi awake at night, even if his eyes are closed. And because of the frightening nightmares. Yugi shuddered at the memory as he walked through the shop doors.

"Ahhh, home sweet game shop," Yugi blissed, scanning his eyes around his perfect Duel Monsters sanctuary. "Can't believe all of this is mine. Well, mostly jii-chan's, but it's mine too."

Yugi smiled to himself as he basked in the sight of the solace of his problems. Just one glance of his precious cards made Yugi relax and give him some peace of mind that not all things are evil in this world. Deciding that he stayed down there long enough, Yugi turned in the direction of the stairs to the upper level of his home. He reached the top, opened the door, and screamed.

Outside on the other side of the street, the man Yugi ran into at school, heard his shriek of terror and immediately entered his home.

* * *

woo lots of things happening in this chapter.

i apologize for the long wait. i had these things called exams that i had to study for and i didn't have much energy for writing. but thank the good lord that those are over and that the summer is here. so i hope i'll be updating more frequently, since i have all the time in the world now.

hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. until next time! r&r!

행복한 캐나다 데이 !


	15. A Helping Hand

_Intro: Scared out of his mind, Yugi tries desperately to save Yami. During his frenzy, a familiar face comes barging through Yugi's home, his mission very clear in his mind. As his plan is taking place, Yugi can't help but notice a few striking similarities between the unknown individual, and someone he had previously met..._

* * *

"Y-Yami oh my-oh my god oh my god oh my god Yami!"

Yugi flung his bag to the ground and landed on his knees next to Yami. He looked down at his stomach to see that it had been ripped open. Yugi immediately tore off his jacket and pressed it down on the wound, intending to stop the bleeding. Yugi began to shake with fear as his eyes roamed up and down Yami's body. He was as still as a rock, his skin cool and his face flushed. Yugi pressed down harder on Yami's stomach as he tried desperately to stop the bleeding.

'_Why won't you stop bleeding?!_' Yugi screamed in his head. He looked down at Yami's sides, and noticed that he wasn't wearing his ring.

'_Oh god Yami you're so stupid! Why aren't you wearing your ring?! Stupid stupid stupid! I swear when you wake up I'm gonna kill you! How could you be so reckless?! What made you take it off anyway?! Who would hurt you like this?!_'

Yugi's breaths came out in choking sobs as he continued to profusely press harder and harder on Yami's stomach.

"Come on Yami, come on. Wake up, wake up," Yugi cried, becoming more and more upset that Yami wasn't opening his eyes.

Yugi was frightened even more when some giant man came running through his front door.

"W-Who are you?!" Yugi stuttered, scared of the man's size.

"That is not important right now," the man spoke. "Right now I need his ring."

"I-I don't know where it is," Yugi confessed.

"What do you mean you do not know where it is?" the man scowled.

"I wasn't here when-when this happened to him! I walked in and found him like this!" Yugi sobbed.

"Go look for it," the man growled.

"But I d-"

"Just do it kid!" the man scowled.

Yugi was hesitant, but he let go of his jacket and stood up shakily to look for Yami's ring, while the man knelt down beside Yami's body.

Yugi's clothes were covered in blood, and he left a trail of it as he searched his home for Yami's ring. He bolted through his bedroom door and tore the place apart. He removed his clothes in the process, and grabbed random pieces of clothing off his floor and put them on as he flipped his mattress from the bedding. He searched his closet as he didn't find Yami's ring under his bed, but he was without luck. Sighing in annoyance, Yugi exited his bedroom and debated whether or not to go into the storage room or his jii-chan's bedroom.

"Well he wouldn't go in either I don't think," Yugi said to himself. "But I think he'd have enough knowledge and respect to not go in jii-chan's room."

Making a decision, Yugi went into the storage room only to find it a mess.

'_Knew it,_' Yugi smiled slightly while rummaging through the isolated area. Not finding it anywhere, Yugi grabbed his hair and grunted angrily.

"God where is it?!" he scolded no one, stomping his feet as he returned downstairs. His anger left him as he saw Yami still lying on the floor, unconscious, and was instead replaced with sadness and fear.

'_What's gonna happen to him?_' he thought as he kneeled beside Yami again.

"Did you find it?" the man asked, taking Yami's face in his hands.

"N-no," Yugi whispered, fresh tears flowing down his face.

"You had better find it if you want Atemu to survive," the man said plainly.

"How do you know him?" Yugi asked.

"That is not important right now," the man hardly responded. "What is more important to you at the moment? Knowing who I am or saving Atemu?"

Yugi knew the obvious answer and that was to save Yami. But without knowing where his ring was, Yugi wasn't sure if he would make it or not. As Yugi didn't answer, the man scoffed at him and focused his attention on Yami. The man also noticed the fresh markings on Yugi's arms when he wasn't looking. The man narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but turned away when Yugi looked at him.

"Atemu has less than a minute until he dies. And if you want to prevent that I suggest you keep looking for his ring. And fast," the man urged.

"W-What if I don't find it huh? You obviously know who and w-what Yami is, don't you have an item of your own?"

"Yes I do. But it is not powerful enough to heal his body. I need his as well," the man explained.

"B-But I-I have no idea where else it could be!" Yugi yelled, getting up from his spot. "I don't know what he did today and I have no idea where he wou-"

Yugi's crying and shouting stopped momentarily as his eyes glanced over to the kitchen. There, sitting peacefully near the edge of the table and covered in blood, was Yami's ring. Yugi didn't exactly register what he saw that instant, as his body stayed where it was and his voice wasn't functioning properly.

"I-ahh it's, uuh-" Yugi couldn't form a complete sentence as he was still trying to comprehend what he was seeing.

"Speak with words kid," the man suggested.

Yugi didn't speak, but grunted as he nailed his knee on the corner of the kitchen table as he retrieved the ring from its position.

"I-I got it, I got it!" Yugi smiled, nearly tripping over the hem of his pants as he plopped down onto the ground.

"Great, now give it here." the man ordered, and Yugi complied. Yugi handed over the bloody ring to the man and he took it from him as he rolled up his sleeve and removed his bracelet.

The man had each item in both hands, and he placed Yami's ring above Yami's head with his bracelet below. He closed his eyes and quietly began to chant some sort of spell, similar to the one Yami performed the last time his body was mangled. He left Yami's ring positioned where it was, as he trailed his bracelet down his body; the same eye that appeared on Yami's forehead glowed on the man's forehead as well. Yugi could only watch in anticipation as the man meticulously performed the spell. The seconds ticked by and nothing had happened yet; Yugi was becoming anxious and the suspense was getting to him.

"Nothing's happening," Yugi quavered, making the man's face squint in concentration.

Just when Yugi was about to break down, the blood on the floor slowly began to trace its way back into Yami's body. Yugi stopped his sobbing and worrying as he saw the colour return to Yami's face, and the coldness of his skin begin to diminish.

"I-It's working, it's working!" Yugi smiled, watching the last of Yami's blood flow back into his body. As it did, Yami took a much needed breath, but remained unconscious. The man finished the spell, and the eye disappeared and he sat up as he slipped his bracelet back on his wrist and Yami's ring on his finger.

"Is he going to be okay?" Yugi asked, hopeful of the answer.

"He will be," the man replied. "But he will need rest." Yugi nodded and smiled at the response as he looked down at Yami's face, pushing the stray strands out of the way.

"I'm going to put him in my room," Yugi said, struggling a bit to hold Yami in his arms. "But you are not going anywhere." Yugi's face turned serious as he looked down at the man, making the man raise his eyebrows in surprise.

"That's right. Thank you for saving his life, but I still have some outstanding questions for you." And with that Yugi slowly made his way upstairs, leaving the man to wonder what just happened.

* * *

Yugi carefully laid Yami on his bed and pulled a sheet over him. Yugi sighed to himself as he scanned Yami's unconscious form, wondering why someone would do this to him.

"And I have a pretty good idea of who could've done it," he said, his voice clear and determined. "Don't worry Yami. I'll get the person who did this to you."

And with that, Yugi kissed Yami's forehead, closed his curtains and let him be. Yugi softly banged his head against his bedroom door when he closed it, frustrated with his current predicament. Suddenly feeling very tired, Yugi trudged his way down the stairs to face the man who saved Yami's life. To Yugi's surprise, the man was still sitting on the floor.

"Uhm, what're you doing?" Yugi asked as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Waiting for your return," the man said, still planted on the floor.

"You can sit down y'know," Yugi suggested.

"I am sitting," the man replied.

"No, I mean on a chair. You don't have to sit on the floor. The chairs are there for a reason," Yugi explained.

"Well, since I entered your home without your permission I did not think to do something without your consent."

"You don't need my 'permission' or 'consent' to sit down on a chair," Yugi scoffed, caught off guard by the man's reason.

The man looked unsure of what to say. He was the authority figure over Yugi, but he found Yugi to be more in charge and challenging than he was at the moment. He didn't want to provoke Yugi as he seemed a little annoyed, so he played it safe.

"M-May I sit on one of your chairs sir?" the man said, choosing his words carefully.

"'Sir'?" Yugi repeated. "Firstly, I am not a 'sir'. I'm just Yugi. So please don't call me that. Secondly, yes. You may sit on one of my chairs." Yugi used his hand to gesture the man over to the kitchen table, so the man got up and sat down.

'_Even when he is agitated he is polite,_' the man thought, eying Yugi respectively.

The man kept his head down as Yugi sat down across from him. Yugi lowered his head to try and get a glance at the man's face, but was to no avail. The collar on his coat and the hat the man wore made it difficult to decipher his face.

"Uhm, c-could you show me your face please?" Yugi requested. The man peeked up at the eager looking Yugi. He didn't want to meet Yugi this way, given the circumstances. He had had a run in with Yugi twice before and today would be the third. He wasn't ready to reveal himself to Yugi, but he had no choice at the moment. The more he contemplated the mere thought of letting Yugi know who he is, the more Yugi looked eager and the more nervous he became. Sighing internally, the man slowly removed his hat and bent his collar to show himself. He shook his head a few times and slowly raised his head.

Yugi didn't exactly register who this man was, as he simply turned his head to the side and narrowed his eyes in concentration.

'_Where have I seen this guy before?' _he thought, searching his mind for an answer.

"Do you remember me Yugi?" the man hinted.

"I-I don't t-... Wait, oh no wait no wait! Let me think. You're, you're the guy from the movie store!" Yugi remembered. "Oh, you're the guy from the movie store..." he repeated more quietly and nervously.

"Yes I am," the man said, smiling a bit. "I apologize if my appearance and behaviour frightened you and your friends."

"Yeah, that was a bit unsettling," Yugi confessed, laughing awkwardly.

"Well, from what you heard from your white haired friend-"

"Ryou," Yugi said.

"-Ryou, my name is Stroadburn. Felix Stroadburn."

"Pleasure to meet your acquaintance Mr. Stroadburn," Yugi greeted, holding out his hand. Felix looked confused, but took Yugi's hand in his own and shook it gently. "Likewise Mr-?"

"Yugi. Yugi Muto."

"Mr. Muto," Felix smiled, releasing Yugi's hand.

"So Mr. Stroadburn-"

"Please Yugi, call me Felix."

"-okay. So Felix, how do you know Yami?"

"Atemu is my nephew," Felix replied.

"Oh so you're his uncle then."

"That I am."

Yugi smiled at Felix, not knowing what to say next. He had a lot of questions, but he didn't want to drill them at him so suddenly. So he decided to give the simple questions.

"So, uhm, h-how long have you been around?"

"A couple thousand years. More than Atemu."

"I see. And, are you close with Yami?"

"I have not seen Atemu since the death of his parents," Felix sighed sadly.

"Oh," was all Yugi could muster. Not wanting to be rude, but curious nonetheless, Yugi asked a private question.

"What exactly happened to them?" Felix looked at him warily, but Yugi quickly corrected himself. "If you don't wanna answer than I understand. It's not my place to go poking around in other peoples' business."

"I do not mind at all Yugi. I just thought it would be better if Atemu told you himself. He is very sensitive, especially when it comes to his family. But if you butter him up, I am sure he will tell you eventually."

"Thanks for the tip," Yugi laughed.

Yugi felt comfortable around Yami's uncle. He seemed like a kind, caring, open-minded person with a happy aura. But things aren't always what they seem.

"How did you find me?" Yugi asked a little more serious. Felix was taken aback by the change in tone, but answered anyways.

"I have been keeping an eye on Atemu since his parents died. He did not want to see me for an unknown reason so I stayed hidden. Atemu grew suspicious, as he had caught me a few times and told me to stay away from him. Since he was the son of our rulers, I complied; but as the years passed, I learned that the stench of alcohol and smoke masked the scent of my aura. As a result, I found Atemu once again and kept him safe. I found you through Atemu, as I followed him here. I decided to keep a watchful eye on you as well, as you are obviously his hikari. I had a movie to return, as I wanted to experience what motion picture was like, and I saw you in there with your friends. Since that would be the first time I would meet you, I wanted to read you; see what you were like. As I was drunk, I could not focus hard enough on you to read you from a distance. So I tripped over my feet, and luckily you caught me, and I read you as I touched you. I saw an array of blurred colours: yellow, blue, green, pink, orange, purple, grey, teal and mahogany. A typical teenager. I concluded that you were safe and sane enough for Atemu, but I still observed your activities just as a precaution. And it is a good thing I did."

Yugi stared down at the table in a shameful way. To some extent, he thinks that the almost-death of Yami was his fault. Almost. Felix, sensing Yugi's remorse, explained that it wasn't his fault. That he was not responsible for Yami's actions, but the person who did this to him was.

"And I have a pretty good idea about who could've done it," Yugi sniffed.

"Who Yugi?"

"Bakura and Mariku," was Yugi's answer.

Felix tensed up at the response. He knew both Bakura and Mariku from their job as the executioner all those years ago. Bakura was more intolerable and psychotic than Mariku, but that didn't mean that Felix liked him more. He hated both of them; irresponsible, insane and obsessed with killing. It didn't exactly thrill Felix in the slightest.

"They are here?" Felix asked in all seriousness.

"Well I don't think they would've left Japan after what they've seen," Yugi said.

"What did they see?"

"My friends."

"Your friends?"

"More specifically, their hikaris."

"Hikaris?" Felix repeated, clearly interested. "Yugi, what exactly did Atemu tell you?"

"Well, he told me where you guys came from and how long you've been around. He told me about yamis and hikaris and their purpose for living. And, uhm... the items that you wear and what they can do. Oh, and how I'm supposedly the 'Blessed One'."

Felix took in the response, processing Yugi's words. It sounded like what Yami would say. Very short and sufficient; easy to understand.

"It sounds like Atemu told you the just of it," Felix said after much thought.

"Is there more?" Yugi asked, interested.

"Well," Felix began, not sure how to explain. "Not much. I guess the only thing Atemu left out was the amount of violence that went on during our time."

"Oh he told me about all the people Bakura killed and how the humans rebelled against you and nearly wiped out your race," Yugi said as if it was no big deal.

"Yes they did, and there are not many of us left," Felix enlightened.

"How many do you think?"

"A couple hundred if that."

"Like, a couple hundred thousand or…-?"

"No, just a couple hundred. That is it."

"Bummer," Yugi said, making an exaggerated sad face.

"It is," Felix sighed. "Not many of us were that intelligent to be honest. The only tool we used against the humans was our items. We had no weapons like a bow and arrow, spears and such. Our items were our only source of power, and not many of us knew what kind of power we possessed. None of us knew how to really tap into the power of our items, and as a result we were killed. Only the most intelligent and lucky ones survived. And that was not much."

"It sounds like you guys had a really tough ride," Yugi commented.

"A 'tough ride'?" Felix repeated, confused by the modern language.

"Oh it's another way of saying that you guys had a difficult life to deal with," Yugi cleared up.

"It was not all that bad. We had very good experiences from time to time. Like when Atemu's parents were selected as our rulers," Felix reminisced.

"I can imagine the amount of excitement. They must've been really good if everyone loved them," Yugi clued in.

"They were," Felix began. "But not every yami were so thankful. A group of them decided to reveal to the human world that we lived among them. That little predicament turned into The Day of Bloodshed which almost made our race extinct."

"What would make them do something like that?" Yugi said more to himself than Felix.

"When they were brought before Atemu's parents, they claimed that they had an epiphany and how they were chosen to be the ones to expose ourselves to the humans. They were obviously insane, but Atemu's parents were not convinced. They believed that the power in their items were very dark and could not be controlled; that it poisoned their minds into believing that they were meant to do their task."

"Smart people," Yugi observed. "Were they right about their power?"

"We were not given the chance to do so, since they were executed for their treason," Felix explained.

"Guess you'll never know then," Yugi sighed.

"I guess not," Felix concurred.

Only small breaths were shared between the two after that. Being fed all this new information, Yugi took some time to think through what Felix said to him; more specifically, Yami's parents.

'_I wonder if they were good people,_' he thought. '_Well they'd gotta be. I mean, they wouldn't be selected as the rulers of their race if they weren't._'

"Felix, why do you call Yami, Atemu?" Yugi suddenly spoke up.

"It was always the proper way of speaking to another yami," Felix responded.

"Yami told me it was because everyone's first name is Yami, and that they were to be called by their last names," Yugi remembered. "And how he prefers to be called Yami, not Atemu."

"Oh, well there is that too. He has told me to call him Yami, but I was simply following the laws of our race."

"So, if everyone's first name is Yami, and you're a yami, then why is your first name Felix and not Yami?" Yugi analyzed.

"Felix Stroadburn is one of my aliases," Felix said, barely above a whisper.

"Why?" Yugi asked.

"Because," Felix continued, still in the same low voice. "There are bad people out there Yugi. People who hold grudges against people like us. I have made a few enemies along the way, I will not lie. I just do not want them to find me."

"Then what's your real name? Or, I guess, your last name?" Yugi urged.

"It's Dorvitch," Felix revealed, barely audible. "Please do not tell anyone. And call me by my alias."

"I won't, promise. But then, is this what you really look like? I mean, Yami told me that your items allow you to change the colour of your body. So is what you look like right now not what you really look like?"

"I have made a few modifications," Felix confessed.

"Well, I don't think I'll be able to keep on talking to you if I can't see what you really look like," Yugi said, leaning back in his chair.

"As you wish. But first you must close those curtains and blinds."

"Uhh, ok sure."

Yugi got up from the table and closed the curtains in the living room and shut the blinds over the kitchen windows. He turned on the kitchen light once he was done and sat back down.

"Thank you," Felix said.

"Yeah sure, no problem," Yugi replied. Once Yugi was situated, Felix sat up straight in his chair and kept a straight face as he used his bracelet to change his body to its original form. His skin turned a darker shade of beige, his eyes went from a bright green to a gold-looking colour, his eyebrows blackened, his lips turned a very pale pink and his hair from ash blonde to a dark-purplish colour. Yugi sat with his arms crossed on the table and stared in awe as Felix's body shifted. Although Yugi had seen the same thing happen to Yami, it still amazed him.

"So, is this you?" Yugi asked after he was sure that Felix had finished changing.

"Yes this is my true form," Felix replied.

"Wow, Yami was right. You really do look like someone you're not."

"Uhm, thank you?" Felix commented, not exactly sure if it was meant as a compliment.

"You're welcome," Yugi smiled, which made Felix turn warm inside.

'_This one is good for Atemu,_' he thought. '_He could use some softening up._'

"So Yugi, how is your life?" Felix asked out of the blue.

"My life?" Yugi repeated, sounding a little unsure. "Not all that interesting to be honest."

"And why is that?"

"Well, my human life isn't really all that exciting. I mean, I go to school for five days of the week for six hours, then come home and do my homework if I have any, do my chores and help my jii-chan with anything to do with the shop."

"That sounds riveting to me," Felix said.

"Not exactly. It may sound interesting, but once you've experienced it you realize how completely annoying and irritating it is. I do enjoy helping with the shop though."

"And what exactly do you do in your shop?"

"Well, we sell cards from a card game called Duel Monsters, courtesy of Maximillion Pegasus. Every few months my jii-chan receives shipment of Duel Monsters cards from the north of Japan, and other countries around the world; mostly from our Northern friends to be honest. When they arrive I help him sort through all of them and put them in the display cases. We got three boxes worth of cards a few days ago, which I still have yet to go through. But it seems that somebody took the liberty of opening the packages and going through them," Yugi explained, sounding sarcastic with his last sentence.

"Really? Who?" Felix asked, clearly oblivious to the answer.

"Yami of course," Yugi said. "I don't let my friends go through them because they'd secretly steal all the good cards."

'_That definitely sounds like Atemu,_' Felix thought, smirking at his nephew's pesky curiosity.

"I see. What are your friends like?"

"Oh well, where do I begin?" Yugi began, exaggerating his voice. "Joey is like a ticking time bomb; ready to go off at any moment. It can be a good thing or a bad thing. He can get all pumped up and excited about something and just burst with everlasting happiness, or he can get all irritated and angry and just snap. And that's a scary situation. But he really is friendly towards everyone, except for those he doesn't exactly like. He's got a thick Brooklyn accent and we tease him about it. But he usually laughs it off, whether it's real or sarcastic; probably the latter."

"And where is he now?" Felix asked.

"Oh yeah, he's with Seto. Joey got some food poisoning from some Thai food that he ate, so he's probably at home with Seto as his willing servant," Yugi explained.

"I see. Who is this Seto character?"

"Seto is Seth's hikari-"

'_Seth is here as well?_' Felix sternly thought. '_That is not good._'

"-He may still be in high school but he's the CEO of his company, KaibaCorp. Given that, he's obviously got some brains in him and he acts more like a business man than a regular teenager. But he does have his moments; most of them are with Joey. He really shows his emotions whenever he's around him."

"And why is that?" Felix pondered.

"They're together," Yugi said plainly.

"Together as in-?"

"Boyfriend and boyfriend," Yugi cleared up.

"Oh. Okay then." Felix was genuinely surprised. He had never heard of a close intimate interaction between two males before. To be honest it sounded odd.

"You're not homophobic are you?" Yugi asked quietly, looking away.

"Homophobic? I have never heard of such a thing."

"Homophobia is the fear of gay people," Yugi enlightened, still not looking in Felix's direction. "Y'know, when two guys or two girls like each other."

"Well, I do not think I would be homophobic. I mean, they are just people. I do not see how others could be afraid of them unless they did something horrible," Felix opinionated. Yugi felt a small smile creep on his face at Felix's words. He didn't expect him to say something that most people are blind to. Maybe he was more accepting than he sought him out to be. Felix saw the smile on Yugi's face after he gave his opinion on the matter; he made a theory from the action and decided to test it.

"Yugi, are you gay?"

Yugi popped his eyes open and looked warily at Felix. Why would he ask that? Was it that obvious? Was it his hair? His personality? Whatever it was it didn't matter. Yugi was surprised at the assumption, but he looked to his thighs in a shameful way and shyly nodded his head.

It was Felix's turn to smile as he received Yugi's mute answer; seeing how Yugi didn't want to talk about it anymore, Felix changed the subject to the original topic.

"So, uhm, any other friends you have?" Yugi looked up from his lap and was thankful that Felix would spare him the uncomfortable conversation.

"Uhm, well, Ryou is Bakura's hikari. He's a soft-spoken person. He really does look like a soft, kind guy. And he is, don't get me wrong, but when somebody upsets him, he gets really agitated and scarier than Seto when one of his employees try to pull a prank at his headquarters. I was genuinely shocked when Ryou screamed his head off at this one guy who continued to bother him and pick on him whenever he was in the library."

"How did that predicament end?" Felix interrupted.

"Ryou was banned from the library for three weeks since he chucked a book at the guy and got suspended for a week. Ryou was more pissed about being banished from the library than being suspended to be honest."

"What happened to the boy who harassed him?"

"He got a pretty bad nosebleed and a black eye."

"All from a book?" Felix guffawed.

"It was a big book. It was leather bound, pushing about seven hundred pages and was twenty by thirty."

"What kind of book was this?"

"No idea. I think it had something to do with Greek mythology," Yugi recalled.

"Is he interested in that kind of thing? Old stories, legends and myths?" Felix inferenced.

"He's into anything honestly. Almost everything peaks his interest. He'd sometimes spend his lunch roaming through the library looking for something to stick his head into. He said he likes the thrill of getting sucked into another world that's different from our own," Yugi explained. "And he's smart too. He's one of the smartest in our grade. Joey has gotten some help from him, and he's a year older than us!"

"Sounds like your friend has quite the talent; given he helped someone older than him," Felix observed.

"You have no idea," Yugi half laughed, half yawned. He looked up at the clock, and it read 6:19pm.

'_It's only been that long?_' he thought, clearly surprised. '_With all the talking we've done I thought it would've been around eight for something._'

'_Ryou sounds more like the Blessed One than Yugi does,_' Felix thought. '_Maybe Atemu was wrong._'

"Tired?" Felix analyzed, seeing Yugi yawn when he turned his head back in his direction.

"Slightly," Yugi confessed, even though he didn't do much.

"I do not blame you. Saving somebody's life can really put a toll on your body energy."

"Huh, yeah I guess." Yugi had almost completely forgotten that Yami was resting in his bed, unconscious. Almost.

"Are those all your friends then?"

"There is one other: Marik, Mariku's hikari. Out of all of them, I'd say Marik is the most outgoing and really speaks his mind. He's more of a big mouth than Joey. And let me tell ya, Joey has quite the big mouth. But half of the things that come out of Marik's mouth are provocative and makes it seem like he's looking for a fight."

'_That definitely sounds like Mariku,_' Felix thought. "Does he take pride in something like that?"

"I personally don't think so, but I'm not sure about Marik. He talks like he does 'cause people always bug him about his... 'special ability' as he prefers it to be called. It really pisses him off so he takes his anger out on them and cusses them out when he gets the chance. That's what gets him in a lot of fights. But he's died down a bit since Ryou keeps him in check."

"Sounds like your friends are quite the handful," Felix chuckled.

"Tell me about it," Yugi sighed, resting his face on his hand.

"And what about you Yugi?" Felix asked after some silence.

"Hmm? What about me?"

"Do you have a significant other?" Felix asked after some silence.

"Uhm, no not really. I mean, I did have a boyfriend when I was younger but he moved to the States because of his father's job. I haven't seen him since," Yugi breathed, reminiscing in the past.

"Have you seen any you like around here?"

'_Man, this guy just keeps throwing questions at me. When is he gonna stop? I better end this soon. I still got a shitload of homework to do. And I gotta eat.'_

"Eyy, some aren't bad I guess," he lamely replied.

"And what about Atemu?" The pace of Yugi's heart sped up at the question. Should he tell Yami's uncle that Yami is the most attractive piece of white chocolate he's ever seen? Ok, maybe putting it that way is a little over the top, but it's a good description.

'_No way am I gonna answer that._'

"Uhm, I-I d-don't exactly feel comfortable thinking about him that-that way," Yugi stammered, the beating of his heart making it difficult to pronunciate his words.

"If you do not want to answer I will not force you to," Felix said with a smile. Yugi simply nodded his head and thought about ending the conversation there and then. Not wanting to sound rude, Yugi thought of the most polite way to kick Felix out of his house.

"Listen, it's getting a little late and I have homework to do and I have no idea what I'm going to eat for dinner so..." He trailed off, hoping Felix would get the hint. Obviously he didn't, as he stared at Yugi, waiting for him to continue.

"...so I think it would be best if you would, uhm... leave? N-not that I'm saying you're not good company is all, it's just that it's late, I'm tired and I'm starving." Felix's expression was unreadable after that; he didn't look offended or angry or upset. His demeanor was blank and emotionless, and looked as if he was frozen stiff. Yugi didn't like the look he was giving him, since facial expressions like that can go both ways. Playing it safe, Yugi pulled out the apologetic card and used it on him.

"I'm sorry if I've offended you in any way, Mr. Stroadburn. It was not my intention." Yugi then got up from his seat and bowed lowly at the waist to show his apologies for whatever he said to make Felix suddenly change his mood.

"That is quite alright Yugi. You did nothing wrong," Felix softly spoke up. Yugi peeked up through his bangs, only to see Felix staring straight ahead of him. "Yugi you do not have to bow to me." And with that Yugi slowly raised his body upwards and stood with his arms at his sides. Felix got up from his seat, still staring in front of him and bid Yugi goodnight.

"I will see you soon Yugi," he said, as he turned around and walked out the front door without a glance to Yugi. "Thank you for your time," he added, bowing to Yugi but not looking at him.

"Yeah, see ya 'round," Yugi called as the door slammed shut. "Well, that was odd. Wonder what was on his mind." Yugi let his thoughts swirl around for possible reasons why Felix's mood shifted so suddenly; those were halted when he saw his bloody uniform jacket lying on the floor.

"Great, just great," he grumbled, picking it up and heading downstairs. "If this doesn't come out then I'm gonna have to order another one. It took long enough the last time."

Yugi shivered as he remembered the first time he wore his uniform jacket. Yugi could easily remember how hot and muggy it was that day. His jacket was unreasonably itchy, too big for him and just plain uncomfortable; he would find himself scratching the prickling material for days on end. It was when he rolled up his sleeves one day after he came home from school when he saw red bumps along his arms. He showed it to Solomon, and he classified it as a rash. After the discovery, Yugi had to have his jacket custom made so he wouldn't obtain another rash. In the meantime, he had to wear the same uniform jacket and he had to have his arms wrapped in medical bandages with baby cream smeared underneath it. It took about three days to make, and Yugi was as grateful as ever; and it seems that he'll have to go through that experience again.

"Just my luck," he muttered to himself, throwing his jacket in the wash. While that was going, he went to do a check-up on Yami. Yugi tiredly returned from the cold atmosphere of the basement and headed upstairs to his bedroom. He opened the door and saw Yami still lying there unconscious. He went to the bedside and took notice that Yami was in a different position than when Yugi laid him down.

'_Is he just sleeping then?_' Yugi thought, scanning Yami's body up and down. '_Well, being unconscious is sorta like sleeping. I mean, your eyes are closed and you actually look like you're sleeping. Guess I'll never know._' He stood there for a few more moments before going back into the kitchen and removing his homework from his bag. "Better get this done now," he said as he sat on a chair and began to work.

* * *

"God darn it, I've had enough of this!"

Yugi slammed his history book shut and shoved the book and the rest of his homework across the table and sighed as he laid his head on the table.

He's been at his homework for three hours now and he felt like his brain was going to explode. Too many different types of information were crammed into his brain and he just couldn't take it anymore. Doing too much of one thing can really wipe a person out. He turned his head to the side, only to see that it was pushing 9:30 at night.

"I hope my teachers will accept some of the stuff I've done. Some is better than none." He let out a breath of air and stretched his arms as he sat up in his chair. He ate his dinner two hours ago. Then he was starving; now he's famished. He sleepily rose from his chair and dug through his cupboards for a snack to munch on. Anything would satisfy him at the moment, since his stomach growled vigorously, demanding to be filled.

"Pipe down will you," Yugi scolded his stomach. "You'll get something in a sec."

He scanned through the variety of food stored away, but most of it was what Solomon ate; and Yugi wasn't a big fan of his food choices.

'_You call this food, jii-chan?_' Yugi whined internally when he couldn't find anything. He set his eyes on the refrigerator and decided to look there. He looked on every shelf, right to the very back where all the forgotten food was. He saw grilled mackerel, leftover Yakitori stored in a container for who knows how long ago, some Tonkatsu pork cutlet and Tempura rolls.

"I am not in the mood for any of this." Yugi slammed the fridge door shut and rested his forehead against the freezer. His stomach was begging to be fed with the constant growling and rumbling it was making. Yugi slid down to the floor and held his stomach sadly. He sighed worthlessly as his belly continued to wail; he was going to die if he didn't get some food.

"It's at times like these when I wish I had my Ramen noodles." Yugi huffed out some air and laid his head against the fridge and closed his eyes. Suddenly remembering something, Yugi shot his eyes open and dashed up the stairs and into the storage room. He opened one of the closets and searched through the entire thing before he found what he was searching for.

'_YES!_' Yugi internally screamed as he held a packet of his precious Ramen noodles. '_VICTORY IS MINE!_' He raced down the stairs and quickly got everything set to make his noodles.

'_Boy am I glad that I keep them stashed up there,_' he thought as he patiently waited for his noodles to cook.

It was a habit of Yugi's to hide certain foods from Solomon; once Yugi found out that Solomon enjoyed the same foods as he did, he immediately took action and hid various foods around the house. The problem is, Yugi doesn't remember all his hiding places besides the storage room closets.

A few minutes past and Yugi's noodles were ready. He eagerly placed them on the kitchen table, and decided to use chopsticks for a change. Since it was a special meal for Yugi, he might as well do it properly.

"I'd like to thank the good lord and the gods above for this delicious meal, and my sheer dumb luck for remembering where I put this magnificent piece of cuisine," Yugi thanked foolishly before he dove his face into his noodles. He made slurping sounds and satisfactory moans as he completely devoured his late night snack. When he was finished, he slumped down in his chair and gave a light burp before letting out a mixture of a yawn and a sigh.

"Well, time to go to bed."

Yugi picked himself off of his chair and turned off the kitchen light before heading into the brightly lit bathroom. He shielded his eyes from his surroundings and navigated his way through to the cupboard to retrieve his toothbrush and toothpaste. He squished some blue tinted paste onto his toothbrush and began to cleanse his teeth. Once the two minutes were up he spit the contents in the sink and put his items back where they belong. He glanced over at the shower and contemplated whether or not to take one.

"Hmm... yes or yes? I think I'm gonna go with yes. But it'll have to be a quick one."

Yugi hastily removed his clothes, grabbed two towels and hopped in the shower. He turned the nozzle more on the hot side, and soon enough the cubicle was filled with a thick layer of steam. Yugi grabbed his bottle of strawberry shampoo, squeezed some onto his palm and massaged it through his scalp. He washed it out as quickly as it went on; he then washed the rest of his body, turned the shower off and stepped outside. He wrapped himself in his towel and gave his head a few shakes before quietly going into his bedroom.

Yami was still well under, and Yugi had the intention of keeping it that way. He silently walked to his dresser and pulled out a fresh pair of boxers. He used his towel to dry himself off before putting them on, and debating with himself about whether or not to slide in his bed with Yami, or go downstairs and sleep on the sofa.

'_I could keep an eye on Yami better if I was up here. But he does need his space and the living room is the perfect place for me to be. Hmmm... ah screw it I'm sleeping with you. Besides, I don't like being alone down there._'

Yami was positioned more in the middle of Yugi's bed, much to Yugi's dismay. He'd have to either leave Yami where he is, or push him over to give himself some room.

'_Looks like you're gonna have to be moved my friend,_' he thought as he gently began to shift Yami's body to the right. Yami stirred a little bit but he remained asleep, or whatever he was at the moment. Once Yugi found he had enough space, he lifted the sheets up and quietly scooted in by Yami's side.

'_How many times is this? Twice? Three times that I've slept with you?'_ Yugi counted as he looked at Yami's peaceful form. _'I don't even know how that makes me feel._'

"Well, goodnight Yami," Yugi whispered before turning on his side and closing his eyes. Yugi's hope of having a peaceful sleep crashed around him as he heard the slurs and groaning emitting from Yami's mouth.

"You're joking," Yugi sighed, slapping his face as he turned his head to look at Yami. His face was scrunched slightly and he had beads of sweat rolling down from his forehead. The sound of his muffled voice was unsettling and the rolling of his head was unbearable.

"Are you gonna make me sing to you again?" Yugi spat at the unconscious form. All he received was the look of discomfort and a pained voice.

"I'll take that as a yes," Yugi concluded. "But it's gonna be something different."

Yugi shoved the sheets off of him and walked to his dresser and searched the second drawer where his iPod was hidden. Once he had it, he unlocked it and went straight to his music. He searched 'Don't Let Me Go instrumental', and the match automatically popped up. He tapped the result and paused it before it could play. He put it on repeat as he returned to Yami's side.

"You're gonna like this one, it's one of my favourites."

Yugi hit play, set it on his bedside table and began to sing softly as soon as the music came on.

"Hmmm... Hmmm... Don't let me go, noel wihaeseo da beoryeotdeon nareul nochineunma. Nal saranghaetdamyeon, jebal gajima. Eojecheoreum noreul anajugosipeo. Neol ijeuraneunmal, byeolgeot aningeotcheoreum. Nae nuneul bomyeo yaegihago itjanha." Yugi noticed that Yami's face was beginning to soften, so he continued to sing as he smiled.

"Geureoke swipge tteonajima. Geureoke swipge malhajima. Gaseumsirige, areumdawo areumdawoseo seulpeun, uriui sigandeul. Woo, woo. Don't let me go naegen keodaran cheuokdeuri neoegen jagajyeo beoryeonni? Amureochi anheundeut nal bojinma jogeumirado nal wihae seulpeohaejwo. Nal itneundaneun mal byeolgeot aningeotcheoreum. Chagapge nal mireonaego itjanha."

"Geureoke swipge tteonajima. Geureoke swipge malhajima. Gaseumsirige, areumdawo areumdawoseo seulpeun, uriui sigandeul. Don't let me go. Don't let me go. Jeo ssodajyeo naerineun bitjulgicheoreum. Geureoke swipge tteonajima. Geureoke swipge, malhajima. Gaseumsirige, areumdawo areumdawoseo seulpeun, uriui sigandeul. Woo, woo." Yugi was drifting asleep as the song ended and he finished singing. He took one last yawn and stretch before turned on his side, back facing Yami.

"Goodnight Yami," Yugi whispered, falling asleep to the soft sound of the instrumental playing on repeat. Yami smiled in his sleep, finally able to rest peacefully.

* * *

well, i'd say i enjoyed writing that one

yeah, so i turned a minor side character into an important person. yay me (y) i don't even know what i'm gonna do with him

i'm may bring in some more oc's, and some of my own. maybe

you guys should seriously check out the song i used for this. it's in Korean, but it's a nice song to fall asleep to. i would know

watch?v=IwrWBN1hlpc

Annyeong!


	16. Hidden Thoughts

_Intro: Saturday. The night before Solomon is to return home. Yami has healed completely, but he is still restless and exhausted and can barely remain awake for more than an hour. Yugi is constantly worried about him, and he can tell that Yami isn't being himself ever since he was attacked by Bakura. He's more quiet whenever he's awake and he keeps to himself. Felix hasn't made an appearance since his visit at the Muto household and Joey's back at school, feeling better. Things seem to be normal for the time being, so Yugi decides to take Yami out in hopes of cheering him up..._

* * *

It was late morning in Domino City. The sun was shining brightly in the sky, with huge, puffy white clouds overlapping one another. Citizens filled the streets; walking to work, going for a stroll or lounging away in various areas of the city like parks, coffee shops and on the benches in the heart of the city. Many teenagers were enjoying their day off of school, resting soundlessly in their beloved beds. Others were out and about in the shining city, playing sports and games and tanning themselves in the sunny patches of grass. But some weren't so lucky.

Others were busy babysitting their troubled siblings, grocery shopping with their parents and completing homework assignments that are long overdue. In a secluded area of the city in a little game shop, a young teenage boy by the name of Yugi Muto was having some difficulties getting his newfound friend out of bed. Yami was lying face-down with his head snuggled into the pillows. Half of the bed sheet was covering his lower half with his right leg sticking out, his back bare. Yugi was attempting to get Yami out of bed, since he hasn't gotten up in days and he hasn't eaten. Yugi wasn't fazed by his actions, since he was stabbed and left to die. But when Yami refused he eat, Yugi grew worried. He had tried to persuade Yami to eat, but his methods didn't work. He continued to stay cooped up in Yugi's room, making an appearance once in a while to use the bathroom. Not being able to take Yami's irrational behaviour, Yugi tried one last approach to change Yami's mind.

"Yami please, you have to get up."

"I do not need to, nor do I want to."

"Yami, you need to get up. Do not make me drag you out by your legs."

"I would like to see you try."

"You're more stubborn than Marik and Joey combined, holy."

"As true as that may be, I am still not going to get up."

"Oh, we'll see about that."

Yugi ripped the sheet off of Yami and onto the floor, making Yami curl his legs up from the cold air. Yugi was thankful that he actually wore a pair of boxers to bed this time, as he wasn't when Yugi spotted him walking to the bathroom butt naked. Yami let out a whiny sigh as he dug his head further into the pillows. Yugi sighed internally as he grabbed Yami by the ankles, and tried to yank him out of his bed. Unfortunately, Yami had a firm grip on the top of the mattress and wasn't letting go anytime soon.

After a few tries, Yugi reluctantly let Yami's feet flop back onto his bed and placed his hands on his hips. He blew away the bangs from his face and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked around his room aimlessly, and his eyes landed on his window. The curtains were closed, but Yugi could see the sun's rays begging to be let through. Yugi's skylight was in the centre of his ceiling, meaning that the sun's bright shine wasn't near Yugi nor Yami. Although, Yugi's window was placed more close to Yugi's bed; once they were opened, Yugi's bed would be illuminated more than he would want. Smirking devilishly to himself, Yugi walked over to his window, grabbed the middle of his curtains and turned towards Yami.

"Yami, this is your last chance," Yugi warned. "Get up or be blinded."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Yami mumbled through the pillows.

"Why don't you sit up and find out for yourself," Yugi suggested. To Yugi's surprise, Yami actually did sit up. He wiped his face sluggishly and peeked through his tired eyes at Yugi.

"Now, your explanation?" Yami croaked.

"I'd be glad to," Yugi smiled, pulling the curtains apart. The sun immediately set on Yami's face, making him groan in annoyance and shield his face with his arms.

"What's the matter Yami?" Yugi mocked. "I thought you loved the sun."

"I do," Yami muttered. "But not when it is forced upon me."

"I wouldn't have had to do this if you would've gotten up when I told you," Yugi pointed out, returning to the side of his bed.

"It is not that easy to just get up when one experiences extreme fatigue," Yami yawned, holding his face in his hands.

"Yami, it's been two days since you've actually been up and doing things. You haven't eaten either! That's not good Yami. You have to get up, eat a lot and go outside for once!"

"And what good will that do me?!" Yami protested. "It is not safe for me out there anymore. Before, I would have no problem going for a walk in the daylight. I was protected by my friends and family. But now, all I have for protection is my ring, Bakura and Mariku are more insane than they were and have a death wish for me and I just do not have the energy to do anything anymore! So please Yugi, do not make me do anything I do not want to." Yami plopped his head back on the pillows and closed his eyes as he breathed in deeply.

"Yami, I can assure you that I wouldn't make you do anything you wouldn't want to. But I don't want you to wither your life away. I know your whole life's purpose was to find me and you may feel like you don't have any other reason to live a normal life, but Yami you have to. You can't just sit around and do nothing. You need to at least come downstairs and eat some food, and maybe take the chance to go outside. You don't have to go alone y'know."

Yami didn't answer. He kept his eyes shut and breathed deeply and slowly as he listened to Yugi's words. Yugi sat on the edge of his bed and placed a hand on Yami's. Yami flinched slightly, and Yugi noticed this. He shook his head sadly as he removed his hand and continued to talk.

"I know what you're going through Yami-" Yugi softly began before Yami interrupted him.

"How could you possibly know what I am going through Yugi?" he bitterly spat, opening his eyes and sitting up slightly. Yugi jumped from the tone of Yami's voice, and backed away ever so slowly. "I was stabbed viciously by a person I hold dear to myself and whom I thought had left his old self behind. I was left to die in my own hikari's home with no one to help me. How could you ever begin to understand what I went through?"

Yugi stared at Yami, wide eyed and his lips parted. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He doesn't know what Yami was going through? Like hell Yugi knew exactly what Yami was going through. Had he forgotten so quickly?

"You know, you may appear all innocent and may not know about many things in the modern world, but once someone gets to know what you're really like they discover just how thick-headed you really are." Yami eyed Yugi disapprovingly, but could not say anything against it as Yugi turned his head towards Yami and narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"I don't know what you're going through? Me, Yugi Muto, does not know what Yami Atemu is going through? That's bullshit Yami and you know it." Yugi shook his head and laughed embarrassingly at how naïve Yami is. Yami wasn't following, as he cocked his head to the side and thinned his lips.

"What are you talking about Yugi?" he whispered.

"Have you already forgotten?!" Yugi barked, causing Yami to wince. "Do you not remember what I told you after I woke up, frantic and scared out of my mind?!" Yugi gave Yami no time to answer as he angrily got up from his bed and turned his body sharply to face Yami head on.

"I was raped Yami. Do you remember me telling you that?! I guess not by the look on your face. But do you know what I remember? I remember saying that I would tell you what happened that night when I was ready. Well, since there's no avoiding the subject I might as well tell you about it now." Yugi's composure was dwindling as he paced around his room with Yami staring at him with such sympathy and shame for not remembering what Yugi told him.

"It happened a few years ago," Yugi began in the same hard voice. "It was just another regular night. I was sitting at home with jii-chan, minding my own business. He was too engulfed in those stupid bills to notice that the phone was ringing. I got up and answered it, only to be greeted by Joey. He and the guys were at Ryou's house, and he asked if I wanted to come over. I was allowed to go, so I began to walk down the street in direction of Ryou's house. It was going all good at first; no one was around and I-I could see the lights on his house." Yugi's eyes closed and his breath hitched in his chest. His hands were balled into fists, and when he spoke again, he sounded like he was going to have a mental breakdown.

"All was going well until someone yanked in my arm and dragged me down into an alley. I realized there was a group of them when the man who took me dropped me to the ground. They were all laughing drunkenly with each other, discussing their perverted fantasies." Yugi sounded disgusted, the very words he was saying was like poison as they left his lips. "They all stopped talking, and I could feel all their eyes on me; looking at me like I was some sort of play toy. The one who brought me there grabbed me by my shirt and threw me up against the wall. My head struck a pipe, and I instantly felt sick. It felt like an eternity before he finally made his move on me." Yugi was now in the centre of his room, standing under his skylight. His voice was filled with so much shame and pain as he continued to explain his horrific experience.

"He violated me in such a way that I was too stunned to react; I let him kiss me in the most grotesque way because I didn't have enough strength to push him away from me. His mouth tasted like alcohol and cigarettes, causing me to gag and choke. When he thrusted me to the ground I threw up almost instantly, and I could hear the rest of them whisper to each other. I couldn't decipher their words, but I wasn't stupid; I knew what kind of ideas they had planned, so I prepared for the worst. Another one of them knelt down next to me; I was shaking so much from the cold air and the fear inside me I felt like I was going to pass out. That would've saved me from the filthy pain I was about to feel." Yugi took a moment to calm his tone of voice, but his voice cracked as he sat on the edge of his bed and began to speak.

"He-he pulled my pants and boxers down in one swift movement as he turned me around so I was facing the wall, and penetrated into me. The pain, was excruciating. He didn't prepare me at all, and he didn't slow down. He went f-faster and harder when I screamed for him to stop; he ignored me and kept going." By now Yugi was trying to keep his choking sobs at bay, and Yami couldn't help but hang his head and silently cry as he listened to Yugi pour his emotions out from the most painful experience of his life.

"I-I could h-hear them cheering him on. 'Go faster, harder, d-don't stop until he bleeds!' I could feel myself bring ripped apart from the inside-out. All the while this was happening, I c-couldn't help but think... 'Why me? Why now? I didn't do anything to deserve this, so why? I was just on my way to a friend's house, why? Why? Why?!'" Yugi held his face in his hands as he bawled his eyes out. Yami had a fair amount of tears on his face, but they were more angry than upset. How dare someone do that to his hikari! If only he had found him sooner, it wouldn't have happened to him. Yugi wouldn't have had to be maliciously violated like he was if Yami had shown up sooner. But there was nothing that could be done now. All that was in the past; and right now, Yugi had to explain himself just to prove that he knew exactly what Yami was going through. Yugi wiped his eyes and sniffed a few times before finishing.

"He was finally satisfied and then he dropped me on the ground and went back to his buddies. I was exhausted and could barely remain awake. I felt so sick and violated and, just so _used_. I didn't think I'd be able to lift my body off the ground or even move my arms. I knew I wouldn't be able to get away either. So I just laid there, screaming internally for someone to come find me. I thought it was inevitable; I thought, I was going to die there. That they'd take me somewhere else and finish me off. But that didn't happen." Yugi took a few deep breaths to keep himself level-headed and calm. Yami shifted closer to Yugi, but not so close as to invade his personal space. Yami desperately wanted to hug Yugi tightly and protectively, and tell him that everything was going to be okay and that he's there for him. But he couldn't do that; right now, he needed to give Yugi the patience he deserves and wait for him to complete his story.

"I looked up to the entrance of the alleyway, and I saw multiple people standing there, calling out something. I couldn't make out what they were shouting but that didn't matter. They were going to be the ones that could possibly save my life. I focused more on their voices, and I realized that they were calling my name. I recognized Joey's voice, so I mustered up all the strength my voice had and called out to him. It caught his attention, but I also caught the unnecessary attention of the pricks that had me trapped. I got kicked in the stomach by one of them, but that didn't stop me from yelling to my friends. All of them, Joey, Seto, Marik and Ryou come dashing down the alley and found me lying there, half-naked and beaten. I passed out after they came, and when I woke up I was lying in Ryou's bed. I was in nothing but my torn apart boxers and my arms and head were wrapped in bandages. I was sore all over and I felt slightly dizzy. Eventually my friends all came in to Ryou's room and explained what happened after I passed out. I was really grateful for them and I knew that nobody has friends like I do."

Yugi gave a light smile as he rubbed his arm and looked up. He sighed sheepishly and for the first time, turned towards Yami.

"So don't you dare say that I don't know what you're going through alright?" Yugi said it in a joking matter, but he was serious about it. Yami didn't say anything; he looked just as restless and tired as Yugi did, but he felt torn; torn between feeling hatred for the men that had the audacity to do something so noxious and insidious to an innocent boy, and feeling the most amount of sorrow and misery towards Yugi for having to endure that amount of malaise, despondency and torture at such a young age. His emotions were so heavy on his heart and in his mind that Yami found it hard to breathe and think straight; they were bubbling up inside of him, but he kept as much of his sturdy composure as he could. He didn't want to break down in front of his hikari, as the amount of embarrassment would be too much for Yami to handle with all the other emotions he was feeling at the moment. To save some of his pride, Yami held his breath as he shared his sympathy with Yugi.

"I am _very_ sorry Yugi. You have no idea what lengths I would have gone through just to see you safe and away from those maniacal low-lifes. I swear to Ra Yugi, I will never let another human being or the like hurt you in such a way. It pains me to see you in this state, and it hurts me even more to hear you go through such an unpleasant experience that no one deserves to endure. And I am sorry Yugi, for focusing the attention on myself when I did not recognize your feelings in this situation. I was feeling weak as a person and weak in my pride. I do not know if I will be able to make it up to you, but I will do all that I can. I am truly sorry Yugi. I do not have to stay here if you do not want me to. I can find another place in this city to stay and you will not have to see me again. I can even go back to Egypt if you so desire and-"

Yami was cut short by a soft, chaste kiss from Yugi. Yami was shocked but didn't back away; he simply closed his eyes and gently kissed him back. When Yugi pulled away he bit his lip and smiled.

"W-What was that for?" Yami asked.

"You were rambling," Yugi chuckled.

"I should ramble more often," Yami noted.

Yugi laughed softly and look at Yami with grateful eyes. He gained a headache and a stuffy nose from his crying, and gently rubbed his temples as he closed his eyes and took a big sniff.

"I accept your apology, Yami. Thank you," Yugi appreciated. "I'm sorry for freaking out earlier."

"You do not need to apologize to me Yugi. I was being selfish and unreasonable. There is no need for you to-"

"Just accept it before I yell at you again," Yugi interrupted, giving Yami a light punch in the shoulder.

'_Very bossy are we?_' Yami smirked before replying. "Ok Yugi, I accept your apology."

"Thank you," Yugi sighed, coughed and sneezed all at once. Yami snickered at the action, and Yugi gave him a glare. Yami geld his hands up in defense as Yugi got up from his bed to go to the bathroom. Yami could hear Yugi blow his nose and sneeze again. He shook his head childishly and kept his laughter to a minimum as Yugi walked back into the room. Yugi looked at him suspiciously, but let it go as he went to his dresser to pull out some new clothes.

"Are you feeling alright Yugi?" Yami questioned Yugi's back.

"Yeah I'm good. I don't know w-achew-what's making me sneeze though. I'm not allergic to anything, so I don't-achew-know what's causing it," Yugi explained.

"'Achew'?" Yami repeated.

"Hey, don't go making fun of my sneeze," Yugi warned, turning around and pointing his finger.

"I did not have the intention. I just have not heard someone sneeze like that before," Yami answered honestly.

"Ok. But don't mock me from this point on," Yugi said as a command, turning back to his drawers.

"Promise," Yami replied, lying back down on the bed and taking a big stretch. He heard a crack in his back and moaned from the pleasure.

"So," Yami gruffly began. "What are you doing today Yugi?"

"Well, I was hoping to go out today a-achew-and you're welcome to join," Yugi said, pulling a fresh pair of boxers, jet black jeans and a black wife beater from his drawer.

"Are you sure you are feeling well Yugi? I would hate for you to get a cold," Yami voiced with concern.

"You sound like my jii-chan," Yugi observed. "But I'll be okay. My obaasan used to say that you sneeze when someone else is talking about you."

"And you believe that?"

"Sort of. I mean, there's obviously a biological reason why we sneeze, but I don't like thinking like that." Yugi said, pulling his shirt over his head.

"Thinking like what?"

"I dunno. Thinking about life in a scientific observation; I don't like it. It's accurate and makes sense yes, but it doesn't exactly float my boat. Using your imagination is what gets my blood going. You can create a whole world of your own and no one can disrupt it. No one controls it but you. You can create anything you want and nobody can say anything about it. I've already created a few worlds of my own," Yugi confessed, placing his hands on the waistline of his boxers. "Uhm, c-could you look away please?"

"Why? It is not like I have not seen you naked before," Yami reminded him, causing Yugi's face to flush red.

"Well could you look away anyways? I still find it awkward," Yugi pleaded, his eyes begging for it.

"Alright fine, fine. I will not look." Yami placed his hand over his eyes, but Yugi was not convinced.

"Uh uh, I don't think so. Face down on the pillows," Yugi ordered. "I know you'll peek. So go on, lie down."

"But-"

"Do it. You might be rewarded later," Yugi sputtered quickly, hoping his trick would convince Yami. Yami looked like he was thinking about it, and finally nodded his head in agreement.

"Fine fine." Yami reluctantly laid on his stomach and plopped his face on top of Yugi's squishy pillows.

'_So thick-headed he is._' Yugi smirked, removing his boxers and putting his new ones on quickly before Yami could look at him.

"Okay you're good," Yugi said when he was in the clear. Yami whipped his head around and sat cross legged on the bed as he watched Yugi put his pants on.

"Ok, I'm missing one more thing... oh my choker!" Yugi searched through his drawers again, but did not find it. He looked through the drawers in his bedside table but didn't find it there either. He went to the bathroom, but came back empty handed.

"Where could it be?" Yugi said to himself, looking along his bedroom floor.

"Uhm, Yugi?" Yami called.

"Hmm, yeah?" Yugi murmured, still moving his eyes along his carpet.

"You are already wearing it," Yami chuckled, causing Yugi to try to look down at his neck. He fingered along his neck until he felt the leather belt securely fastened.

"Oh, I must've slept with it on." Yugi shrugged his shoulders and focused his attention on Yami. Yami gave him a 'what' mind of look, making Yugi sigh.

"Are you coming or aren't you?"

"Mmmm... I guess it could not hurt," Yami smiled.

"Ok good then. Now, there's only one problem," Yugi pointed out.

"What would that be?" Yami asked.

"You need some clothes."

"I already have some."

"Yami, they're ripped and bloody. It'd look pretty suspicious seeing someone walking down Domino City looking like that," Yugi explained.

"I do not have any other clothes Yugi," Yami said. "What do you suggest I do? Go outside half naked?"

"That wouldn't be a bad idea," Yugi whispered ever so quietly to himself. "But, no no. He needs clothes. But I'm smaller than him. Not by much, but-"

"Are you talking to yourself Yugi?" Yami interrupted.

"What? No," Yugi defended, blushing a bit. "Just, give me a sec. I'll be right back." Yugi left Yami alone in his room to search for some clothes. When he came back he held several pieces of clothing in his arms. He dropped them on his bed and Yami eyed them curiously. They were all black Yami noticed; a simple t-shirt with the sleeves cut off, leather pants with a thick belt and spiked bracelets. Yami seemed satisfied with the choices, as he smiled when he picked up the shirt and held it against his chest.

"Whose are these?" Yami asked. "They seem too big for you. "

"They're my cousin Yusei's. He's taller than I am, but he's either your height or just a smidge taller. They should fit you."

"Why do you have your cousin's clothes?" Yami questioned.

"He's only two years older than I am and he used to come and sleep here all the time when we were younger," Yugi answered, walking over to his full length mirror to examine himself.

"You are close, then?" Yami guessed.

"Mmm, you could say so," Yugi sighed, readjusting his choker. "I'm pretty close with all of my family. But I'd say I'm the closest with Yusei. Oh and Jaden too."

"How large is your family?" Yami asked, pulling the shirt over his head.

"The average size of a typical Japanese family," Yugi answered.

"And how big is that?"

"Well for my family, it's not very large. I have two aunts and uncles, seven cousins, and my jii-chan is my only living grandparent."

"Wow," Yami huffed, slipping on his pants. "_My_ family is much larger than that."

"How much larger?" Yugi questioned, eying Yami in the mirror.

"Well, I had nine aunts and uncles, six siblings, four grandparents and two parents as well," Yami answered. Once Yugi heard Yami speak of his parents, he remembered that they were dead. And so were Yugi's.

'_At least we can relate to each other that way,_' Yugi thought, hanging his head.

"That's quite the family you have," Yugi commented.

"Had," Yami corrected, fiddling around with the bracelets on his wrists. "Most of them died on The Day of Bloodshed. When the humans-"

"-rebelled against you and almost wiped out your race I know," Yugi finished, leaving Yami to look shocked.

"Uhm, yes. I believe I have told you this before, yes?"

"Yeah ya have," Yugi sneezed again. "Good god!"

"Yugi, are you positive you-"

"For the third time Yami, I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. I've been through way worse than this, trust me."

"Whatever you say," Yami sighed, defeated. "Well, how do I look?" Yugi glanced in the mirror at Yami, then turned around to get a better look. He had everything in the right place and the clothes seemed to fit. The pants were a little baggy, but they fit him nonetheless. The shirt looked like it was made for Yami and the spiked bracelets suit him well. Yami looked good.

"Y-you, you look good," Yugi stuttered, feeling the blush creeping it's way on his cheeks. "But you still need some shoes."

"I have shoes," Yami said.

"They're all bloody Yami. And like I said, it'll look suspicious if people see that you have blood on you. Now, I think Yusei left his boots here three months ago. Don't know why he'd do that but that was his decision. Since you fit into his clothes I bet you'd have the same size feet. I'll be right back." Yugi left Yami alone again, and Yami took the advantage to have a look at himself. He stepped in front of Yugi's mirror and twisted his body to see himself from various angles. He had to admit, Yugi's cousin has good taste.

"I do not look that bad," Yami said to himself. "I could get used to this style." Yugi returned with a pair of boots in one hand and a blue jacket in the other.

"I found one of Yusei's jackets if you wanna wear it. It's not an obligation, you can do whatever you want." Yugi placed the boots on the floor and Yusei's jacket on his bed. He lifted his head to see Yami still looking at himself, and Yugi couldn't help but notice how incredibly sexy he looked in his cousin's clothes.

'_Keep it together Yugi,_' Yugi told himself. '_He's not a toy, but a living, breathing... thing. Living for five thousand years doesn't exactly qualify someone to be a human; he's a yami... my yami._'

"Oh, thank you Yugi." Yami turned his back on the mirror and picked up Yusei's jacket and slid it on. The sleeves flared out at his wrists and the bottom reached his waist. Yami shrugged his shoulders and he could feel all the extra room his chest and torso had.

"Looks a little big on you," Yugi observed. "I guess Yusei is a little more bulkier than you." Yami gave Yugi a funny look, and let the jacket fall to the floor as he put his arms back. "Let's hope you'll have more luck with his boots."

Yami looked to Yugi's feet to see the boots he brought in. They were dark brown with the laces undone and looked like worker boots. Yami placed his feet in and did up the laces. There was a little room at the front for his toes, but they would do.

"I think you wear Yusei's clothes better than Yusei does," Yugi complimented, roaming his eyes up and down Yami's body.

"You think so?"

"You sound disappointed," Yugi said. "Since Yusei isn't here I can't exactly make a proper comparison, but I'd say you do actually wear his clothes better than he does." Yami blushed at Yugi's words, clearly embarrassed by the kind words. He was never used to hearing someone speak in such a way to him. The only people who spoke to him like that was his parents. Yami smiled sadly at the memory, but didn't let it get him down.

"So, uhm, what exactly are we doing today?"

"Well, you'll see once you come downstairs," Yugi smiled, motioning for Yami to follow him. Yugi led Yami down the stairs, and he squinted his eyes from the sun that shown through the kitchen windows. When he refocused his vision he saw a large amount of food on the kitchen table, along with a large basket and a blanket.

"What is all this?" Yami asked.

"It's a picnic," Yugi enlightened.

"A picnic?" Yami repeated. "What is that?"

"Are you serious?" Yugi sighed dramatically. "A picnic is when you go out and sit somewhere and bring some food along with you."

"Oh, I have done this before!" Yami remembered.

"Then why didn't you know what it was called?"

"Because we call it a klystrit."

"A-a what?"

"A klystrit. It is a term we use for social gatherings that involve eating."

"Isn't that just like breakfast, lunch and dinner?"

"Not exactly. A klyst is more formal and polite. We use that term for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But a klystrit is more exciting and playful."

"Oh, I've obviously never heard of that before," Yugi said while digging through his fridge for drinks to bring. "Any other foreign words I should know about?"

"Well, there are a lot we use, but I will tell you some," Yami began. "There is vlopxir, penoralis, paryntez, qlosdell, bujyef, yazhuvit, jwinx, jwinxtrey and aryenyai."

"What in the holy hell are those?" Yugi exaggeratedly asked, clearly unfamiliar with the strange words.

"They are terms we use for different types of events, places and so on. Vlopxir is what we use for 'birthday', penoralis is a 'new year', paryntez is 'christmas', qlosdell is a sporting event, bujyef is a social gathering such as a party, clubs and such. Yazhuvit is a way of saying 'congratulations' for a person's own reasons, jwinx is 'brother', jwinxtrey is 'sister' and aryenyai is 'memory'. There are many more complex and difficult words you could learn, but I think I should stay with the basics."

"Or I could just keep talking in my regular everyday language," Yugi happily suggested.

"Yes I suppose you could," Yami concurred, leaning against the table. "So, I suppose we pack this food into that basket, head out somewhere outside, unpack it all and then eat if I'm not mistaken?"

Yugi peered through his bangs as he placed a bottle of iced tea on the table and smirked at Yami's inference. "That's exactly what we do," Yugi confirmed. "So start packin'." Yami followed Yugi's request and began storing the food set out into the basket, and he noticed a few food items he recognized but didn't know what they were called.

"Hey Yugi, I have seen these types of food before but I do not know what they are. Could you name them for me?"

"Uh, ok sure. In this box is pizza, those red and green ovals in the plastic bags are grapes, these triangular red things are strawberries, in this bottle is iced tea and the rectangular ones that're wrapped up is chocolate."

"They sound delicious."

"Right you are Yami," Yugi cheered, going to the cupboard to retrieve some cups. He placed them in the basket and closed the lid. "Well, I think we should get going then." Yami nodded his head in agreement and they both headed out the door.

* * *

Yugi and Yami walked around various parts of the city, looking for a good place to settle down. They received several stares from passersby; some thought they were identical twins, others just weren't used to seeing such a bizarre looking person, let alone two of them and they actually received some winks and seductive gestures from the women. Yugi ignored them, while Yami gave them confused looks.

After walking for some time, they found a place that was suitable enough for them. It was a little way from the city, on top of a hill. There was a park below them, but they chose to have some privacy for the time being. Yugi set the basket on the ground and opened the lid to take out the blanket and lay it on the grass. He sat down and Yami followed, both of them crossing their legs. Neither of them spoke as Yugi began to take out the food they packed, starting with the pizza.

"This is the, pizza, yes?" Yami guessed, trying to remember.

"Yes it is," Yugi smiled. "Now let's see if you can remember the rest." Yami looked nervous as Yugi removed all the food from the basket and laid it out in front of him. Yami scanned all the items, thinking through his answers. Yugi smirked at Yami's concentration, and cleared his throat, signalizing that he was waiting for an answer.

"Ok." Yami pointed to the strawberries. "S-Strawberries?" he said with uncertainty.

"Are you asking me or telling me?" Yugi tested, seeing if Yami were to change his answer.

"T-Telling you?" Yugi gave him a look before Yami said it more with confidence. "Telling you." Yugi nodded his head in approval before confirming his guess.

"Yes, you're right. Those are the strawberries." Yami looked calm on the outside but on the inside he was cheering himself on. He moved on to the grapes beside the strawberries, and gave no thought as to what he was going to say.

"Grapes," he said, causing Yugi to clap his hands dramatically. Yami was unaware of the sarcasm as he smiled brightly and moved onto the next piece of food: the chocolate. Yami had a little more trouble with the chocolate, as the word was difficult for him to remember.

"Hmmm." Yami placed his hand on his chin and supported his head on his knee. He squinted his eyes in frustration as he continued to search his mind for an answer.

"With the words we use I am surprised that I cannot remember an ordinary word," Yami said to himself, making Yugi smirk.

"Give up?" Yugi perked up.

"I never back down from a challenge," Yami mumbled.

"Are you calling this a challenge?" Yugi said in disbelief. Yami caught on to it and made a semi-angry face as he explained himself.

"Yes actually, I do find it a challenge to remember the name of a simple piece of food and now I realize how stupid it sounds." Yami slumped his head down as he continued to warily stare down at the bar of chocolate.

"Just make a guess Yami. There's no shame in getting it wrong," Yugi encouraged him, which was capable of making Yami take a guess.

"It is the, pi-chocolate?" Yami corrected himself.

"That's right Yami!"

"I knew I did n- wait did you just say I was right?" Yami repeated what he thought he heard.

"Yeah you did. You got 'em all right. Now, can you tell me what's in here?" Yugi requested while holding the bottle of iced tea.

"Oh boy, uhm... oh iced tea," Yami said in an obvious tone.

"Wow, that was fast," Yugi replied, placing the bottle back down. "What made you answer so quickly?"

"I can see the writing on the wrapper attached to the bottle," Yami confessed, smirking slightly.

"Cheater," Yugi muttered, opening the bottle and pouring it into the cups he brought. "Have you ever had any of this stuff before Yami?"

"I do not recall. It smells good, so therefore it will taste good."

"That's your reason for trying new food? Would you eat something if it smelt bad?"

"Well, if it does but it looks appealing, I will eat it."

"Picky aren't you?" Yugi jested, passing over a cup to Yami. Yami ignored Yugi's comment and took the cup in his hands. He sniffed the top of the cup, decided it wasn't that bad and took a sip. He didn't get much taste so he swallowed a larger amount and let the taste rest on his tongue. It wasn't that bad; it wasn't outstanding, but Yami could tolerate it.

"Not bad," he said after setting his cup down. He reached out for the chocolate, but his hand was smacked away by Yugi.

"Ah ah ah, not yet," Yugi said while Yami rubbed his hand. "First, we need to eat the pizza. The chocolate is for desert." Yami rolled his eyes at the rule, but waited patiently for Yugi to give him a slice. Yami could smell the aroma of the pizza, and it was making his mouth water. He had never smelt something so exquisite in a long time, and was eager to experience what it tastes like.

At long last Yugi opened the box and pulled apart a piece of pizza and handed it over to Yami. Yami took it graciously and let its essence travel into his nasal cavity before biting into it gently.

"This is Hawaiian meat pizza by the way. Along with the pepperoni, cheese and bacon, those yellow blocks are pineapple slices." Yugi got a dreamy looking smile in return, and laughed when Yami let out a pleasurable moan. "You like it?"

"This is amazing," Yami beamed between bites.

"This may be hard to believe but some people don't like pizza," Yugi brought up, causing Yami to gag on his food.

"Are you serious?" Yami gasped, dumbfounded by the fact.

"Unfortunately yes," Yugi grinned, amused by Yami's reaction.

"Well that is their problem then," Yami sneered, waving it off. Yugi simply giggled at Yami's behaviour and ate his own food. They each drank their iced tea between bites, and enjoyed the view that their current position had to offer. Yugi was looking down at the park below them, while Yami looked over at Domino City.

During their peaceful sights, a Frisbee landed at the foot of their blanket. A young girl that looked around seven to nine years old ran up the hill to retrieve it, until she noticed Yugi and Yami sitting there. Yami didn't seem to notice her, as he continued to stare off into the city. Yugi however, recognized her presence immediately and smiled warmly at her. She smiled back, but made a confused face afterwards once Yami turned his attention to her. Yami gave her a smile, but she continued to look at him, and then back to Yugi. Yugi then looked to Yami, who only gave him a puzzled expression. They both then looked back to the girl, who still had the same visage when Yami first looked at her.

"Uhm, hi there," Yugi greeted, attempting to make the awkward situation less awkward.

"Top o' the mornin' t' ya!," the girl cheerfully replied, facing Yugi.

"Is that your Frisbee?" Yugi asked, nodding his head to the toy at the foot of the blanket.

"Yes i' t'is!" she answered in the same lively tone, picking it up.

"It's very nice," Yugi complimented. "Are you playing with your parents?"

"Me dad is playin' with me down o' there while me mum is takin' pictures," the girl said, pointing over to her parents sitting down with each other.

"That's a very nice accent you have," Yugi noticed, making the girl blush and giggle.

"Go raibh maith agat!" she answered.

"What does that mean?" Yugi asked.

"It means 'tank ya' in Irish," she replied.

"I guess you're Irish then," Yugi observed. "What's your name?"

"Eibhlin," she beamed.

"That's a very nice name," Yugi smiled. "My name is Yugi. And this is my-brother, Yami," he added, gesturing towards Yami. Yami was about to protest about him pretending to be Yugi's 'brother', but Eibhlin cut him off.

"Nice t' meet ya Yugi, Yami," Eibhlin tittered. She looked as though she was thinking about something, until she made a face that said she remembered something, and then bowed lowly to them both. Yugi laughed sheepishly.

"You don't have to bow to us Eibhlin," Yugi said, causing Eibhlin to raise her head.

"But me mum said I have t'. She said it's respectful t' bow t' the Japanese," Eibhlin explained.

"That's true. But you really don't have to. I don't mind, and I'm pretty sure Yami doesn't either."

"Well I have t' do what I'm told so I'm gon' bow t' everyone Japanese fella I meet," Eibhlin said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Okay then Eibhlin," Yugi laughed, ending the conversation; though they didn't have to wait long before someone came running up the hill calling Eibhlin's name.

"Eibhlin! Eibhlin! Cá bhfuil tú?" a male voice called.

"Anseo!" Eibhlin answered. A boy around eighteen years old with ruffled blonde hair came up the hill and knelt down beside Eibhlin.

'_Probably her brother,_' Yugi thought.

"Eibhlin what're you doin' up here?" the boy asked.

"I was gettin' me frisbee and I met these nice boys," Eibhlin smiled. The boy looked up and widened his eyes at the sight of Yugi and Yami. Both Yugi and Yami smiled slightly, not wanting to look suspicious. The boy awkwardly smiled back and turned to face Eibhlin.

"I'm sure these boys were nice t' ya," the boy said. "But mum and dad want ya back alright?" Eibhlin pouted, but she reluctantly nodded her head.

"Fine then. But you have t' be nice to them Lorcan."

"What makes ya tink I'd be mean t' 'em?"

"'Cause ya always act grouchy 'round new people!"

"I do not."

"Yeah ya do!"

"I am not gon' have this conversation. Jus' go back t' mum and dad okay? I promise ya I won't be mean t' these boys." Eibhlin eyed her brother suspiciously, then bowed before Yugi and Yami, bid them goodbye and ran down the hill to her parents.

"Sorry 'bout that. Hope she didn't give ya too much trouble. She tends t' talk and talk until ya jus' can't listen t' 'er anymore," Lorcan apologized.

"She was no trouble at all," Yugi said. "She seems like an enthusiastic girl."

"Well 'er name means 'pleasant, beautiful and radiant', so I guess she fits the bill," Lorcan said, turning his head to look at his sister return to her parents. "She's only eight years old. I jus' hope she'll stay like that when she's olda."

Yugi nor Yami knew what to say to that, since they didn't know Eibhlin or Lorcan; so they just avoided looking at the back of Lorcan's head and instead at the city or at each other. Lorcan eventually looked back, and scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously.

"Sorry, I didn't introduce meself prop'ly," Lorcan said. "I'm Lorcan. Lorcan O'Shea."

"I'm Yugi Muto, and this is my brother Yami Muto. Pleasure to meet your acquaintance," Yugi returned, giving Lorcan a warm smile while Yami was left to think why Yugi would tell him he's his brother.

"And the same t' you," Lorcan grinned, bowing before them.

"Again with the bowing," Yugi whispered to himself. "You seriously don't have to bow to us Lorcan. Well, me anyway. I'm not sure about Yami." Yugi turned towards Yami, only to find him staring at him. He mouthed 'what', but Yami just shrugged his shoulders and faced Lorcan.

"Well, I was told by me mum that that's how you Japanese folks greet each other," Lorcan explained. "I wouldn't want t' get in t' any trouble if I didn't bow t' someone important."

"Well, you have two less people to bow to. So seriously, stop bowing," Yugi chuckled jokingly, making Lorcan smile warmly.

"I tink I should get back t' me family now. Probably missin' me. I'll see ya lads 'round." And with that, Lorcan waved instead of bowed goodbye and skidded down the hill back to his family. Yugi was able to relax a little more since he wouldn't have to deal with any more awkward conversations, but Yami seemed a little agitated and Yugi noticed this.

"You alright Yami?" he asked, eating his third piece of pizza.

"Why did you say that I am your brother?" Yugi swallowed his food and looked at him funny, as if the answer was obvious, which it was.

"Because Yami, if I were to say that you were my friend I think they'd be a little suspicious. There's not many friends who look exactly like each other or remotely similar. It was an easy getaway and they were convinced. So I don't know why you're uptight about it."

"I am not being uptight," Yami defended, just finishing his second slice. "I just… well, I guess you are right. I guess I do not like being connected to a person in that way."

"What do you mean? Are you saying you don't like being so close to someone?" Yugi queried.

"Possibly. I mean, the only people I have ever been really close with are my parents."

"Not even with your own brothers and sisters?" Yugi mentioned.

"I suppose not," Yami sighed, looking up at the sky. "They were more lively and active with each other. Me being the eldest, I was more isolated than the rest of them. I spent the most of my time with my parents because I was next in line for the throne. But I guess I also spent so much time with them because I wanted to."

Yugi silently munched on his fourth piece of pizza and studied Yami closely. His face was relaxed, he was lying down on his elbows and looked as if he wasn't fazed by what he said. But Yugi could tell that he wanted to say more; much more.

"They were somewhat excited about being selected as our leaders. They knew they would have to work hard every day and that they would have less time to spend with me and the rest of my family. But they were glad that they were given the chance to make a difference with our people. And they did." Yami paused, took a drink of his iced tea and continued. "They really made an impact on our people. They dealt with things in the most harmonious way possible and were not prone to violence and death; but the rules of our people were already determined long ago. They could do nothing about it but grin, bear it and move on. That was the life of the people of Kul Elna; filled with anger and hate. But my parents changed that. They made life in Kul Elna more riveting and exciting. They would hold the traditional Penoralis Bujyef, and invite everyone in the city. No matter how poor or how rich they were, everyone was welcome.

"My parents were very giving people, and they wanted to show that they care about everyone in the city; not just the superiors and more important individuals. They were everything our people wanted, and everything our people needed." Yami gave a faint smile to the sky, admiring the tone of blue and the streaky clouds as he reminisced in the past.

Yugi listened intently the whole time; he even stopped eating to give his full undivided attention to what Yami had to say. Yugi was curious about Yami's parents, and he was grateful that Yami was able to give him some input about them. However, Yugi didn't quite understand why Yami would say so much about something that was so personal and sensitive to him. Maybe Yami didn't realize what he was saying; maybe he thought he blocked out all the outside noise and he was talking to himself. Yami's big spiel relaxed him to much extent, and Yugi found himself shifting closer to him. He liked the way Yami looked when he was in his own little world, oblivious to his surroundings.

"They sounded like great people Yami," Yugi mentioned, smiling sadly.

"They were," Yami replied, lowering his head to look over the children down in the park. "But they are gone now. They are nothing more than a mere memory." Yugi couldn't help but feel sympathy for Yami, as his parents were gone too.

"I can't even remember what my parents were like," Yugi spoke up, crossing his legs and propping his elbows up on his knees. "I was three when they died. Car accident."

"Mine sacrificed themselves to save what was left of our people on The Day of Bloodshed," Yami said.

"I know," Yugi accidently slipped out. He widened his eyes and hoped that Yami didn't question him about it. Luckily for him, Yami just stared down below him and ignored his comment. Yugi let out a breath of relief and stared with him.

"I miss being a kid," Yugi began. "So free, wild and not having a care in the world. You get the full attention of everyone and get away with anything because your face is too cute to punish."

"It still is," Yami laughed softly, leaving Yugi confused.

"What do you mean 'it still is'?" he asked.

"Your face is too cute to punish," Yami cleared up, making Yugi blush. "But exceptions can be made," he added, smirking wickedly. Yugi caught on and punched Yami in the arm. Yami laughed at his dirty thoughts while Yugi blushed even more.

'_He's terrible,_' Yugi thought, shaking his head. '_But that's okay. Not like I wouldn't have the same thoughts once in a while._'

"Would you like some more food?" Yugi offered, making Yami look at him and nod his head. "Great."

Yugi returned to his original spot and Yami turned his body to face the food laid out. The strawberries, grapes and chocolate were still there for Yami to try. Yami reached for the strawberries first and took a bite. He twisted his face the way a person would when they tasted something sour, but once he began to chew he softened his expression.

"Not bad," Yami remarked, finishing the small fruit. He grabbed the bag of grapes, and picked off a green and red one and plopped them into his mouth. It was crunchy at first, but once the juice squirted out, Yami's face lit up instantly. He reveled in the taste and snatched a couple more from the bag and into his mouth, making his face light up even more.

"I take it that you like them?" Yugi surmised. He received a nod in return, and seized the bag from Yami's hands so he could have some for himself. Yami whined, but ate the food in his mouth and swallowed.

"Can I try the chocolate now?" Yami asked.

"I don't know, _can _you?" Yugi joked. Yami looked confused at first, but smirk before answering.

"Yes I can. Also, colloquial irregularities occur frequently in any language; and since you understood my intended meaning being particular about the distinctions between 'can' and 'may' is purely pedantic and arguably pretentious," he quipped.

Yugi blinked ever so slowly as he tried to process Yami's words into something he could understand, but he was without luck. His brain was not as complex and developed as Yami's to have a remote clue as to what Yami just said.

"What, the _hell_, did you just say?" Yugi coughed, choking on his grapes.

"I just told you that I _can_, and I _may_, have the chocolate," Yami said with a smug look on his face.

"Wow, I have got to use that on my teachers," Yugi squeaked, excited at the idea. "Although, I might be sent to the office for talking back… Shit." Yugi looked so bummed out about the opportunity to show his teachers up that he didn't notice the pleading look on Yami's face.

"What?" Yami gestured his eyes to the chocolate, and then back up at Yugi's face. Yugi followed his gaze, and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah yeah go on take it," he said, causing Yami to smile. He grabbed the bar tore off the wrapper. He broke some off, and stuffed it in his mouth. He instantly fell in love with it, the chocolate melting itself, much to Yami's liking. It stuck to the roof of his mouth and his teeth, but he brushed that off and continued to indulge in the pleasure he was feeling.

"Going by the look on your face, I'd say that the chocolate is your favourite?" Yami just moaned, as he was in pure bliss.

"That's the serotonin, dopamine, menoamine and norepinephrine taking a toll on your body," Yugi said matter-of-factly.

"What?" Yami sputtered after swallowing his chocolate.

"They're chemicals that help you fall in love. Learned it from Ryou, the smart-aleck," Yugi explained.

"Sounds like he knows his stuff," Yami commented.

"You have no idea," Yugi sighed.

They both sat in silence momentarily; admiring the view of the city and the people below them. Yugi lay down on his back, bent his knee and placed his heads behind his head. He inhaled deeply and smiled for no reason. He looked to the sky and extolled the different kinds of shapes the clouds conjured.

He noticed from the corner of his eye that Yami was on his back as well with his hands folded on his chest and his eyes closed. Yugi couldn't help but think that this was the person whom he saw in his dreams. This was the battered and bruised being he dreamt about many nights ago. He wondered whether or not he should tell Yami that he dreamt about him. What harm could it do? Maybe Yami could give Yugi some insight about why he dreamt about Yami in the first place.

"Hey Yami?" Yugi called.

"Yeah?" Yami mumbled.

"I need to tell you something," Yugi began. "It may sound a little strange, but I think that you can tell me the meaning behind it."

"What would you like to tell me?" Yami asked.

"Well, about a week ago I-I had a dream. It wasn't like any other dream I've had. It felt more realistic and vivid. At first I thought it didn't mean anything. But the next night I dreamt the same thing, but some things were different."

"What was your dream about Yugi?" Yami cut in, now looking at the boy opposite him.

"W-Well, y-you were in it," Yugi whispered. Yami narrowed his eyes in curiosity, and waited patiently to hear more.

"You see, the first time I dreamt about you, you were dressed in my school uniform. You looked emotionless; you weren't sad, angry or happy. You just had a blank look on your face. You didn't say anything either; you just kept looking at me. Then you looked down, and when you looked back up you were crying because you saw my arms. You started to run so I ran after you. I wasn't able to catch up to you so I stopped running. Once I did the floor opened and I fell through and the dream ended. I woke up screaming and covered in sweat." Yami turned his head to face the sky to process Yugi's words.

'_I have never heard of such a thing,_' Yami thought. '_I do not know what to tell him._'

"What happened in your second dream?" he asked.

"Well, the same thing happened. You were there and I was confused and I fell through the floor when it was all over. But this time, you were dressed in all black and they were all bloody and ripped. Your head was hurt too; you obviously didn't look too good. I wanted to help you but I didn't know what to do. All I was in was a towel, so I used that to dab some of the blood away on your face. You looked at me funny so I turned my face away. You weren't exactly fond of that, so you held my chin and made me look at you again. Again, you made me feel funny so I looked down at the floor. And again, you made me look up at you. Then, you started to cry. You began to stroke my face with your hand, which surprised me. You stopped eventually, unfortunately. I admit, I kinda liked it," Yugi blushed slightly and bit his lip before continuing.

"I started crying for some reason, and you brushed the tears away. You held my face in your hands and didn't let go until I asked you who you are, to which you replied, 'your dark'. You confused me beyond reasoning, and that's when I fell into the floor again and the dream ended. I woke up all sweaty and freaked out again, and still had no idea if it meant anything or not." Yugi yawned when he finished, and closed his eyes as he waited for an answer from Yami.

In all honesty, Yami didn't know what to say. He had never heard of someone dreaming about another person that looked exactly like the other. Then again, dreams aren't necessarily supposed to make sense. Dreams are successions of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. They can last for a few seconds, or as long as 20 minutes. The average person has three to five dreams per night, but some may have up to seven dreams in one night. Dreams can mean all different kinds of things; there's no limit on what a person could possibly dream about. Every person's dream is different, including Yugi's.

"That is quite the dream Yugi," Yami finally said, unsure of what to say. Yugi opened his eyes and turned his head to look at Yami. He was still staring at the sky and he face was unreadable. Yugi grew a little anxious as Yami continued to say nothing.

"Why did you tell me this?" Yami said. Yugi was caught off guard by the question, but answered anyways.

"Well, I was hoping that you might be able to tell me what it meant. I mean, I guess my mind was telling me that you were coming. But, I dunno. I know dreams are really obscure and confusing, but this is different. I know I dreamt about you for a reason, and I may have figured out why. And then when you acted out my dream when we were in my room that night I-"

"Wait, what?" Yami said, sitting up and facing Yugi. "I acted out your dream?"

"Don't you remember?" Yugi reminded him. "When I threatened to call the cops and I sat back down, you started to act out my dream, whether or not you knew it. I stroked the side of your head, which I did to you in my dream when it was bleeding. You pressed your hand against it, which you also did in my dream. Then you started to cry, and instead of kissing my forehead you actually kissed me. And then we… well, you know the rest."

"I remember," Yami said. "I also remember that I did not act on my own."

"What are you saying?"

"I am saying, I did not cry by sheer will. I can cry on command yes, but I did not that time. My body acted on its own."

"It did"  
"Yes it did."

"Huh." Yugi didn't know how to react to hearing that. Someone's body acting on its own? That didn't sound natural. People who have epilepsy and panic attacks know what it's like to not have control over their own body. But a healthy, intelligent teenager that has no history of acting in such a way? It didn't seem to fit.

"I do not know what to make of your dreams Yugi," Yami began. "But I do believe that what you said is true. That you dreamt of me because we were meant to meet, which makes sense because every yami's mission is to find their other self. Maybe your dreams were a wakeup call; a sort of 'heads up' to what was coming your way. That is the only explanation I can give you. I am not an expert in oneirology Yugi, but I can tell you that your unconscious mind may be connected to mine. Like I said, hikaris and yamis are alike in many ways, but also very different. I do not know if that helped you, but it is all I can give."

"No worries Yami, I understand. Dreams are all over the place, they can mean anything. Thanks though," Yugi reassured. Yugi thought about telling Yami about his meeting with his uncle Felix, but told himself not to. He's had enough bizarre information thrown at him; and besides, Felix said that he and Yami had a bad history together. He'd hate to see what Yami would have to say about him, especially about the part where he and Yugi talked with each other when Yami was unconscious. Yugi would keep that information to himself for a while, until he felt like the moment was right to tell Yami.

"I think we should get going," Yugi spoke up, stretching out his arms. "I still need to think of something to say to jii-chan about you, if he learns of your existence."

"I agree," Yami concurred. "Let us get this packed up and then head home." Yugi smiled at Yami's calm order, and started to help him pack everything back into the basket. Once they were done, Yami picked up the basket; they descended down the hill and headed back to the game shop.

* * *

whew, holy christ. over 10 000 words in this chapter. sorry for the long wait guys. it's always nice to include other nationalities into stories right? i enjoyed that

this chapter is dedicated to my friend, Tian Lee, as she wanted me to incorporate a picnic session in my story

hope you guys liked it!

Annyeong!


	17. Happy Times

_Intro: After a successful afternoon with Yami, Yugi is beginning to grow anxious about what he is going to do when Solomon returns home tomorrow. There are too many things he will have to explain, including why he needed to order a new uniform jacket. In the meantime, he revels in the time he spends with Yami, and his feelings for him are slowly beginning to grow…_

* * *

"Hey Yami, have long have you been in Domino?" Yugi asked as he and Yami entered the city plaza.

"A few weeks I suppose," Yami answered.

"Have you seen much of the city?" Yugi sneezed again, cursing his body. Yami chuckled before replying.

"I have seen a large majority of the city yes. But I have not exactly been paying attention to any attractions or buildings and such. I spent much of my time here actually. Sitting on the benches and browsing the people that walk by."

"And why would you be doing that?" Yugi pondered, approaching a bench and sitting down. Yami followed after him.

"I was looking for you of course," Yami answered in an obvious tone. "But I was doing so in a secretive manner. I am not some creep that stalks people when I first glance at their face. Trust me; I am not that kind of person. I take one look, and if they are not what I am looking for then I move on to the next person."

"Bet it took you a while to find me," Yugi commented. "Y'know, cause the big hair on a small body is hard to miss. Then again, I'm in school most of the time and I doubt you ever looked there."

It was true. Yami has never actually seen the school before, since it's on the outskirts of the city. Yami had never thought to look there, since he thought he'd be able to find Yugi just by sitting on a bench in the city plaza and wait and see until he walks by. But that obviously didn't happen.

"I did not bother to look outside the city," Yami explained. "I just assumed that everyone would walk through here sometime during the day and I would eventually find you."

"How long would you stay here?" Yugi asked.

"All day every day. I would get up and have something to eat if I was hungry, but other than that I stayed right here."

"I'd never be able to do that. I get bored too easily," Yugi said, lying back with his hands supporting his head. "Did you get bored?"

"A little. There are a lot of people in this city; but I am a very patient man. So I get by," Yami answered.

"Were you naturally born patient or did you have to work on it?" Yugi asked.

"A little of both. I learned a great deal from my parents. With all the problems they had to deal with, they had to have a great amount of patience and perseverance. And I guess I inherited it from being around them so much."

"If only I had those qualities," Yugi said. "Then maybe I wouldn't be so restless and testy."

"What do you mean?" Yami cut in, crossing his legs.

"Like, when I'm waiting for something," Yugi began, rubbing the underside of his nose. "I can't sit still or focus on one thing. I get all fidgety and irritated. Especially when it's quiet; I can't take silence. It's all eerie and creepy and makes me uncomfortable."

"Sucks to be you then," Yami teased.

"You wouldn't know what I would give to have at least a little bit of patience. Hell, even Joey's more patient than I am; and he's one of the most energetic people I know! You'd think a guy like that wouldn't be able to handle being in a quiet room for ten minutes."

"When have you seen him patient? Besides when he was listening to Seth and I ramble?" Yami asked.

"Uhm, well he was surprisingly quiet during one of the school's pep rallies. He'd usually embarrass himself by making a scene." Yugi snorted at the memory. "So either he was really tired or he genuinely wasn't interested."

"And you are not able to handle situations like that in a calm manner?" Yami inferenced.

"Nope, not at all," Yugi sighed. "I'd either be sulking about it or looking distraught. Or both. Really depends on my mood the day of."

"Sounds like you are not a very enthusiastic person," Yami snickered.

"Oh no I am," Yugi defended. "There are just some things that don't exactly thrill me."

"Then what does thrill you?" Yami queried.

"Fun things. You know, like music, dancing, the internet, video games, being with my friends, card games. Normal things that teenagers find entertaining," Yugi answered. "What about you? What do you find to be fun?"

"Well, when I was a child, I liked watching my parents work. I would lie down on one of the couches in their bedroom and just watch them work. It was very soothing and I enjoyed it."

"What about when you weren't with your parents?" Yugi suggested. "What did you do?"

"I would wander around the house for a bit. And if I found nothing to entertain myself, I went walking around Kul Elna. There was usually something that would attract my attention."

"Like what?"

"There would usually be an entertainer of some kind near the centre of the city," Yami recalled. "Several of them, actually. They would do their own individual acts, work together or both. They could begin with their own kind of entertainment and then suddenly join with one another. I would say that they kept the city alive."

"What do you mean?"

"Kul Elna was not exactly a city where boisterous things happen. It was a pretty boring place to be honest. So, as a result of this boredom, several citizens got together and put on a show for the city to enjoy. Their acts were more appealing to the children, but the adults liked it just as much. They kept the city lively and made it a wonderful place to live." Yami sighed. He missed being a kid and enjoying what little things his city had to offer.

"What about you?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you have any kind of that entertainment in Domino?"

"Mmm, not that I can think of," Yugi replied. "The only entertainment I get is either from the internet, going to Seto's yearly conventions or watching Joey and Marik have a brawl with each other. It's actually quite captivating when you get used to it."

"You watch your friends fight for fun?" Yami repeated, appalled by hearing such a thing.

"Well they're not using any sort of weapon," Yugi cleared up. "The only things they have to use are their voices and fists. Marik actually gave Joey a bloody nose once. And Joey returned the favour by giving him a black eye."

"Do they always act so rashly with each other?" Yami questioned.

"Not all the time. It would start off with one of them saying something they shouldn't have, then the other getting mad and mouthing off, and then eventually they'd be at each others' throats. But once it's all said and done they'd get over it."

"Such aggressive behaviour," Yami said more to himself than Yugi. Yugi didn't say anything but simply agreed with Yami silently. Speaking of silence, the plaza seemed deserted. The only people there were Yugi, Yami and a couple of street wanderers. Yugi instantly became uncomfortable with the situation and shuddered.

"You ok Yugi?" Yami noticed.

"Yeah, it's just the amount of quiet. There's usually a bustle of people in this area of the city during the day. I have no idea why not many people are here right now. Something needs to happen so I don't lose my mind."

"We should keep talking then," Yami suggested. "Our voices are projecting noises, so it should distract you from your surroundings long enough." Yugi looked up at Yami who looked pretty satisfied with his plan. Yugi smiled at him and nodded his head in agreement.

"Yeah sure," Yugi thanked. Yami nodded his head and tried to think of something to talk about. He wasn't exactly good thinking of a topic on the spot to discuss, as his mind would go blank. Thankfully, Yugi thought of something.

"Hey Yami, you see that building over there?" Yugi said, pointing down the street. Yami followed his finger and saw a very large building overlooking the surrounding buildings. It was oddly shaped, in Yami's opinion. The base started out as thick, and a little more than halfway up it started to get thinner. And a large, round dome-like structure rested on top. It was nothing like Yami had seen before, and it shocked him completely.

"Yes I see it. What about it?"

"Do you know what it is?"

"It is a peculiar shaped building."

"Yes there's that, but that's not what I'm talking about. It's KaibaCorp Headquarters. That's where Seto works," Yugi explained.

"Really?" Yami commented. "Impressive. I wonder what goes on in a place like that."

"A lot of boring things to be honest," Yugi said. "Me and the guys have been there before and let me tell ya, the decor inside is almost as weird as the shape of the outside."

"How bad is it?"

"Well, they-or, I guess Seto-made some major changes after he took over as CEO. Seto's a classical guy; he likes piano music, reading, technology and anything that suits his tastes. And it sure shows on the inside of his company. The lobby is pretty standard; neat, clean and full of security. Seto likes to be cautious at all times. Especially with his younger brother Mokuba hanging around. Anyway, Seto personalized everything from the first floor all the way up to the thirtieth floor, including the penthouse on top." Yugi took a moment to catch his breath before continuing.

"The hallways are designed the same; the walls are painted a light blue, but it looks lighter when the sun is shining on it, and darker when the sun starts to set. The only other things mounted on the walls are Seto's favourite paintings, light switches and buzzers so someone can ask to go into a room instead of just walking right in. All the offices for his employees are in little cubicles. They're all placed in one gigantic room, for different purposes: he has people who deal with finances, the rival companies, media and all that jazz. Each floor is separated according to these jobs. So the finance people would be on one floor, people who deal with the rivaling companies are on another and so on."

"So, if Seto has all these people who are doing all of these different tasks for him, what exactly does he do?" Yami cut in.

"See, Seto would be able to do all his employees' jobs in a heartbeat; he could file out all the paperwork that needed to be done, tell off the other companies that want to be partners with him and tell the media to piss off when he didn't want to be bothered. Since he obviously doesn't have enough time to do all that on his own, he has his employees do it. Instead, Seto deals with his own secret projects. He likes using different types of technology and uses it to his advantage."

"Is he an expert in that area?" Yami guessed.

"Mmm, I guess you could say so," Yugi said a little unsure. "I mean, I don't know his IQ but I know he's smart enough to run a very successful international company and create all the things he has. His target audience is us teenagers and younger kids; but that never stopped the adults from buying a lot of his merchandise. KaibaLand is a real hit with everyone in the city. The people can't seem to get enough of it."

"I am sure that they would be," Yami added. "Now, what kind of projects does Seto work on personally?"

"Well, right now he's working on one of his greatest inventions. He's pretty proud of it. See, it's this dueling device that projects a hologram of Duel Monsters cards. It's supposed to look realistic and you can actually feel the pain your opponent's monsters inflict on you when they attack. It's pretty scary to be honest..."

"Does this device have a name?"

"He calls it a Duel Disk. It goes on your left arm and you place your deck in the slot. Once you do that it activates and you start dueling."

"He must be insanely intelligent if he can produce such a complex piece of technology," Yami observed.

"No doubt about it," Yugi agreed. "But, Seto being Seto, he likes perfecting everything. He takes pleasure in knowing that he was able to create something that didn't have anything wrong with it. No flaws or little blemishes to ruin his creations. One little miscalculation can set him off and make him do everything all over again. It's quite annoying, since he complains to us about his mistakes."

"Seto is still in high school yes?" Yami asked, getting a nod in return. "If he is still getting educated, how does he find the time to get all of his work done? I mean, that amount of work can really put pressure on a person and leave them exhausted."

"Oh, you're implying that Seto actually does school work," Yugi laughed, rolling his eyes. Yami looked confused, as any person would be when they hear something like that, but Yugi just simply kept on laughing.

"I do not understand," Yami spoke up. "Does Seto, _not_, attend school?"

"Oh no he does," Yugi said after dying down his laughter. "He just doesn't do school work, he doesn't need to. He's far too smart and sophisticated to do that, in his opinion. The only reason he goes there is to work on the stuff that goes on in his company when he isn't there."

"How can he get away with something like that?" Yami gasped lightly. "From what I have heard from you, school is a dangerous and hurtful place for people to attend. The teachers treat you badly and the students are what you say are 'too stupid to function'."

"Even though all of that is true, the whole school knows who Seto Kaiba is. Seto made a deal with the school: If they let him use the media room as his personal office for the day, he would cash in a check of ¥10000 every four months to donate to the school. It's quite surprising actually; I never knew Seto was so generous to a place he hates. I guess he would do anything to make sure his company doesn't go down the drain because of something that one of his employees messed up."

"I guess not," Yami remarked. "Who is in charge of his company when Seto is not there?"

"His right-hand man and business adviser, Roland. He seems to be the only person that Seto truly trusts when he's not there," Yugi said. "But you can't blame him. It's ranked as the number one gaming company in the world. You really need hard-working, trusting people to take care of such an important company."

"Apparently so," Yami coincided. "Wait a second. If Seto is not participating in school, and all he does is work for his company, why does he go to the school? Why not just stay in the place where he works?"

"Probably because he doesn't like being around one place for too long," Yugi answered. "He likes to vary his surroundings. Plus he likes to see Joey when he can, and the school definitely isn't complaining from the money he gives them."

"I guess that is reasonable," Yami said.

"Sure does," Yugi said. "Hey, do you wanna go over there?"

"Where? To the school or Seto's workplace?"

"To KaibaCorp obviously. I'm not going back to that hell hole because we don't have anything better to do."

"Good point. Are you sure Seto would mind us being there?" Yami pointed out. "I mean, I would love to, I just do not want to disrupt anything important he is working on."

"I'm sure he won't mind. Besides, he hardly comes down from his office anyways. He wouldn't notice unless he checked the security cameras in the control room."

"Are you sure? I am still not compl-"

"Oh just shut up and come on already," Yugi interrupted, standing up and holding out a hand. "You may not get a chance like this again. It's good to have connections y'know. And since I'm Seto's friend, I can go in whenever I want. Just as long as I don't piss him off. I don't wanna get banished again. So come on. Get up and have some fun with me in the most successful gaming company there ever was." Yami was a little hesitant, but he eventually took Yugi's hand in his and let him lead him to KaibaCorp Headquarters.

* * *

Yugi and Yami's time spent in KaibaCorp Headquarters was... interesting, to say the least. Yami extolled the two statues of the Blue Eyes White Dragon placed before the entrance, and was blown away from the amount of care Seto had for the interior of his company. They received countless amounts of stares from the employees working in the lobby, and one of them actually called Seto in his office to say that two visitors were acting very suspicious. They were asked to patch him through to the lobby security cameras, and instantly regret it when he saw who was there.

He decided to address them personally, so he accessed the control room for all the cameras in the building, and asked the supervisor to let him use the jumbo screen placed in the lobby. The guy did as he was told, and soon enough Seto's emotionless face was plastered up on the wall in front of Yugi and Yami. Both of them were startled when they heard the sound of Seto's monotonous voice blasting through the speakers, and they were asked what they were doing there. Yugi merely said they were visiting; Seto allowed it, but reminded them to not break anything, disrupt his workers and that they were not allowed in the basement. Yugi jokingly crossed his heart as he gave his promise, and with that Seto's face had vanished from the screen.

Yugi led Yami through the lobby to the elevator, and as they traveled upward, they both admired the view of the city the elevator had to offer. It took them a few seconds to register that they had reached the twentieth floor since they took their sweet time overlooking Domino. Once they left the elevator, Yugi showed Yami just what exactly was on the twentieth floor. At the end of the hall was a room that had Seto's past accomplishments displayed in extra thick, bulletproof glass cases.

"Seto likes to gloat sometimes," Yugi explained. "I would too if I was as half as smart as he is. And he likes to protect his treasured projects."

They continued on their tour, when they had unexpectedly run into the younger Kaiba brother, Mokuba. Yugi wasn't surprised that he was there, as Mokuba loved being with his brother; or rather, being with his brother's _precious toys _that are out on display. Yugi didn't exactly know what Mokuba did while he was there, since he knew that he was not to disturb Seto while he was working. Yugi just assumed that the kid would find something to entertain himself with. Probably something in the basement; there was always things down there that Mokuba could play with and hopefully not fuck up. Seto wouldn't be too chipper to hear that his ototo did something he wasn't supposed to. Banishment and grounding would be the possible punishment given.

Mokuba had merely said hi to them, but didn't exactly notice Yami as he kept his head facing the floor and he went on his merry way. He looked as if he had something important to do, since he walked away pretty quickly and was repeating something to himself. Yugi brushed it off and continued to show Yami around. They went up to the penthouse at the very top of the building and stayed up there until it was late afternoon. They still had about five hours to kill, and neither of them knew what to do. So they headed back to the plaza to think of something.

Luckily, they didn't have to think of anything since a rather large crowd had formed in the plaza.

"I wonder what's going on," Yugi said as he and Yami returned. "C'mon, let's go see." He grasped Yami's wrist gently, and awkwardly pushed their way through the crowd as he had the picnic basket in his other hand. Once they emerged, Yugi was taken by surprise by what he saw. Yami didn't seem fazed, as he probably wasn't affected by seeing anything strange or obscure (since he lived in a world filled with magic and supernatural entities). Plus, there was a high possibility that he didn't know what was going on either but didn't make a face about it.

There seemed to be a girl roughly around Yugi's age group arguing with one of the Domino Security members. The girl was quite tall, almost as tall as the man, and she used this as an advantage to tower over him in a pissed off way. She was dressed very strangely too; she didn't look like she was from their region, or the country for that matter.

Yugi examined her thoroughly, completely shocked by her attire. He'd never seen someone dress such a way before, let alone in public.

She had long blonde hair, with a slight streak of red on the right side of her head (unless Yugi's eyes were playing a trick on him). She wore a white, button up dress shirt, along with a dark red skinny tie and a deep grey suit jacket with the sleeves torn off. Her pants were designed strangely, as the crotch began on one knee and went to the other and it was baggy from that point down. There were several zippers on it too; two where normal zipper pockets would be, two on the side of the pant legs and a larger one halfway down the over-sized crotch area. To top it all off, she had on plain white converse high tops, a SnapBack, one black, lace, finger-less glove on her left arm and a colourful, rectangular shaped backpack.

'_What is this girl thinking?_' Yugi thought, shaking his head at the scene. Yami on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying it, as he smirked and laughed quietly to himself. Yugi shook that off and focused more on what was happening in front of him. Relieving his eyes for a second, Yugi used his ears instead to listen to the bickering that was going on.

"I don't see why this is such a problem!" the girl angrily jeered, crossing her arms the way a child would when they were being a nuisance. Her accent definitely didn't sound Japanese, so that confirmed Yugi's hunch about her not being from this place.

"The city of Domino does not allow such behaviour. And exhibiting it in the presence of its citizens is merely disrespectful," the security man retorted.

"Disrespectful?" the girl repeated in disbelief. "I don't see how dancing in a public place is disrespectful. This country should use some cultural influence anyways."

Yugi held his breath after she said that. No one had ever stood up to the city's security before, and they certainly didn't talk back. Most people would simply apologize for whatever thing they did wrong and be on their merry way. But this girl was packing a lot in her; she definitely was not going down without a fight.

"You watch your mouth young lady!" the security man shot back. "We do not allow people to have such blatant disregard for our rules, and-"

"Whoa whoa wait hold up," the girl interrupted. "You do not allow people to have such blatant disregard for your rules? What the hell do you do to people who act that way? Do you take them away and teach them to be respectful, and then once you feel like you've proved your point you release them back into the city? 'Cause that's pretty sad. I'm gonna act however the hell I want thank you very much."

The crowd 'oo'd' hugely at her remark, and the security man looked angrier by the second. The girl seemed pretty pleased with herself, as she smirked and bent her knee in a careless fashion.

"Listen here you, you Jap trash-"

"Jap trash?!" the girl repeated angrily, clearly offended. "And you say I have no respect. What right do you have to call me that? I mean, yeah, I'm not from here as you can obviously see, but that doesn't give you the right to insult me like that. Is that how you treat all of your foreigners? Like a worthless waste of space that doesn't have any right to be here?"

That rant sure did the thing to make the security guard stiffen in response, unsure of how to retaliate. The crowd grew more anxious, as did Yugi, as this confrontation was the most exciting thing to happen in a while. The girl never broke eye contact with the security guard, not even blinking for that matter. She looked as serious as anyone would in this situation, and from the look in her eyes she wasn't about to surrender.

"Leave here now, or I'll have to personally remove you," the security guard said in a cold tone. The girl narrowed her eyes, and smirked before replying.

"What's your name?" she asked, seeming amused.

"Officer Trudge, Sector Security Commissioner," he responded.

"Well then, _Officer Trudge_, I'll make you a deal. If these wonderful people over here enjoy watching me do what I was previously doing, then I get to stay. But if they happen to not like it, then I will leave peacefully."

Trudge seemed to be thinking it over, and smiled triumphantly as he nodded his head to seal the deal.

"Fine then. They like it, I let you stay. They don't, then you must leave."

"That's what I just said you dunce," the girl snapped, swinging off her backpack to set it on the ground. Trudge snarled furiously as he backed up to give her some room, clearly not satisfied with the insult. She simply just laughed to herself, and unzipped her bag to retrieve her docking station. She set it on the ground, and pulled out her iPod from one of her pant pockets. She set it in the dock, opened it and began to play the song.

The song was 'Ni**as in Paris' by Jay-Z ft Kanye West. The girl fiddled with her SnapBack and kept her head down as she turned to face her audience. Yugi noticed writing on her hat, but he was too far away to make out what it said.

The song changed abruptly to something else, but it wasn't a song he recognized. It was in plain English, so Yugi didn't quite understand it. Yugi could hear what sounded like 'Gee aye ee kay oh', until the song changed languages again. The girl began to dance after that and the crowd and Trudge watched from the sidelines.

The song wasn't exactly slow and easy to comprehend, as the girl moved rapidly with the words and the language was not Japanese, or even English. Yugi couldn't help but think he had heard the language before, but couldn't remember where. He didn't get a chance to listen to the words anymore, as the song ended rather quickly and the girl stood with the back of her hand covering her face, her head turned to the side and her legs bent. She was panting pretty hard, and Yugi could see the sweat shining on her forehead.

She raised herself from her position and wiped her face free of the perspiration. She took her iPod from the docking station and set it back in her pocket. She turned to the crowd again, waiting for a response. Yugi could hear Trudge quietly laughing to himself, as he thinks that no one liked it. Yugi looked around him, and everyone's face seemed to look shocked by what they just witnessed and therefore weren't responding. The girl was growing pretty anxious, as she moved her eyes back and forth from person to person waiting for someone to cheer or clap their hands or something; but no one did anything.

Sighing disappointingly to herself, the girl snatched her docking station from the ground, stuffed it back in her bag and slung it over her shoulder and began to walk away. Trudge was laughing hysterically now, satisfied that he won. Unfortunately for him, Yugi wasn't going to let him feel so happy with himself, as Yugi wanted to make the girl feel pleased with her performance.

Yugi set the picnic basket on the ground and started to slowly clap his hands. Yami looked down at him, confused, but joined him as well. The girl stopped where she was once she heard them, but didn't turn around. Trudge stopped his laughing as well, and turned his attention towards Yugi and Yami. The two had started a domino effect, as the rest of the crowd began to clap along with them. Soon enough, everyone that had gathered to watch the girl dance were clapping erotically and some of them began cheering once they registered what they saw the girl do.

The girl smiled happily to herself, finally rotating her body to face her audience. She walked back to them, and bowed lowly at the waist. When she looked up she saw Yugi's face smiling brightly and clapping loudly, causing her to warm up inside and go red in the face. She noticed Yami next to him, and blushed even more.

'_Damn,_' she thought, smiling stupidly. '_There's some nice lookin' Japs around here._' She looked to her left and saw Trudge frowning unhappily, and she couldn't help but smirk deviously to herself. '_Pfft, that's what he gets, the jag off._'

The crowd eventually stopped clapping and began to disperse. All that remained was a couple of people walking around aimlessly, Yugi and Yami and Trudge, who was still watching intently from afar. Yami had stopped clapping, but Yugi was still going strong. That only caused the girl to blush even harder, and only when did Yami nudge Yugi in the arm did he stop his appreciation. He made a face at Yami, then picked up the picnic basket and approached the girl.

"That was great," Yugi said as he stopped in front of her. "I've never seen someone dance like that before." Yugi realized just how tall the girl was, as he only reached just below her shoulders and he had to look up at her. Yami on the other hand, was a little taller than she was, so therefore he looked down on her.

"Thanks," was her reply. "I've been dancing for a year now. I didn't take any classes though. I just danced with my friends back home."

"So you're not from here I take it?" Yugi received a shake of the head from the girl, and he nodded his head. "I can tell. You have quite the accent, plus your clothes are a little... different, than what most Japanese are used to."

"Yeah, I moved here from Canada. My family and I were taught Japanese everyday for over a year because we didn't want to keep embarrassing ourselves whenever we would speak English to you people. As for my clothes, we made a pit stop in South Korea. I bought a couple of things as you can see. I knew what I wanted and searched everywhere to find them."

"I've always wanted to go there," Yugi mentioned. "There are some things I'd like to see and experience. If you don't mind me asking, what made you want to move to Japan?"

"It's ok. Well, I guess we all wanted to see more of the world," she began. "When I start liking a place I never want to leave. So I begged my parents for us to move here. They've always joked about things like these, but apparently they thought about it seriously and eventually they gave in and hired a personal tutor for us. My sister didn't want to come though. Don't know why, but I guess that's her problem. But she promised to visit us when she had the time."

"Why would you choose Japan though?" Yugi asked. "I mean, not that I'm saying it's not great or anything, but you had a lot of options. Why Japan?"

"I dunno," the girl sighed, looking like she was in deep thought. "I guess I got tired of my own country. Plus there weren't any really attractive people." Yugi stared blankly at her, not sure how to respond. That didn't really sound like a valid reason for someone to move halfway across the world, but everyone has their opinions. Yugi was about to say something when the girl's laughter cut him off.

"I do not understand what is so funny," Yami spoke up for the first time, causing the girl to look at him who was still laughing.

"That's not the real reason why I chose Japan," she said, now looking happy with herself. "I chose Japan because I read a lot of manga and watch a lot of anime. You guys have all the good merchandise and I wanted to be able to understand what the characters were saying without using subs or translating everything on the internet. Plus this place is packed with Duel Monsters cards and what not." Yugi perked up at the sound of the mention of Duel Monsters. This girl was a duelist? He would've never guessed.

"You play Duel Monsters?" Yugi beamed, certainly content with the direction of the current conversation.

"Hell yes!" the girl remarked. "It's the best card game I've ever played! That Maximillion Pegasus is a genius."

"No kidding," Yugi agreed. "How long have you been playing?"

"Not very long to be honest," the girl confessed. "A couple months, give or take. I got the hang of it after a few duels with my friends."

"Same here," Yugi commented. "I'm not one to brag, but I'm undefeated out of all my friends and one of them is a pro. I learn games pretty quickly and strategize really well."

"Is that so?" The girl raised an eyebrow at Yugi, and smirked at him. "Maybe we could duel each other sometime. What kind of deck do you have?"

"That'd be great. I live in a game shop that sells Duel Monsters cards at the other end of the city. We could meet up there whenever you can. And I have a Strategy deck. What about you?"

"That'd be awesome! I've got a White Night themed deck," the girl answered. "I love the winter time, so I thought I might as well use that kind of deck. My monsters are pretty powerful, so don't let the theme fool you."

"I never underestimate my opponents," Yugi grinned. "No matter what kind of deck they may have."

"Touché," she mused. "What about your brother? Does he duel?" She looked at Yami, and he looked back, a little put off.

"I am just learning to play the game," Yami replied. "But I believe I will be able to defeat someone eventually if I worked on it."

"That's the spirit!" she smiled. "Good luck with that. Is your little bro here teaching you?"

"Yes he is," Yami answered a little aggressively.

The girl flinched slightly, not really expecting Yami to answer harshly. Yugi could see the awkward moment forming, so he quickly thought of something else to talk about.

"Hey, what's written underneath the lid of your hat?" It was a reasonable excuse; Yugi noticed it when he first looked up at her and wanted to know anyways.

"It's uh, the signature of Kris from Exo M," the girl answered, slowly tearing her gaze away from Yami to look down at Yugi.

"Really? You met him?!"

"I met all of them. And all of K too. I got them to sign my hat at a meet and greet. Y'know, once they finally decided to come to Canada." She removed her cap and handed it to Yugi so he could take a look.

"You know them?" she said, since Yugi obviously knew who Kris was.

"Yeah I do," Yugi said, turning the hat to examine it more. "I've wanted to see them in a concert for a while but I haven't been able to. With school and all."

"I know eh?" she agreed. "School ruins everything for us these days. Can't stay at a friend's house, can't go here can't there; it's quite annoying. I don't think I'll be able to venture around Domino by myself since I'm not familiar with the area."

"I could show you around," Yugi offered.

"Really? That'd be great," she smiled, thankful for the suggestion.

"It's not that difficult really. Domino may seem like a big place at first, but once you get used to it it's as if the city has shrunk. Then you know every face and who to, and who to not trust."

"I'll be looking forward to it," the girl smiled. "I'd better get going. I promised my mum that I'd be back before it got dark."

"Do you know where to go?"

"Oh yeah, I'll find it eventually. I didn't wander too far. I guess I'll see you guys later then." And with that she bowed towards them and set off in the opposite direction. Yugi picked up the picnic basket and motioned Yami to follow him. But before the girl was out of earshot, Yugi called out to her.

"Hey wait!" The girl stopped where she was and turned her body halfway. "What's your name?" The girl smirked to herself before replying.

"You can call me SK!" she shouted back. "What about you?!"

"I'm Yugi! And he's Yami!"

"Alright then! I'll see ya later Yugi and Yami!" SK waved goodbye to the both of them and continued on her way, as did Yugi and Yami.

* * *

It was nearly seven o'clock when Yugi and Yami decided it was time to return home. They had spent the rest of their evening together going through stores to look for clothes for Yami and more Duel Monsters cards (not like they didn't have enough already). Yami didn't seem as disgruntled as he was back at the plaza, which confused Yugi. He's never acted like that before (besides after being stabbed and left to die) and Yugi can't figure out what might've set him off. He had too many things to think about right now, so he had to prioritize.

They walked through the game shop, and Yugi did a quick check to see if anything was out of place before heading upstairs to his home. He graciously let the bags hanging on his arms slump to the floor, and sighed heavily as he sat down on the couch completely exhausted.

"Man, am I beat," Yugi yawned, stretching his arms and legs. "I don't think I've ever felt this tired before." Yugi planted the back of his hand on his face, and grunted when Yami's ring poked him in the nose. He had forgotten that he borrowed it from Yami back at the mall.

"Ouch," Yugi grumbled. "Hey Yami, do you want this back now? I'm sure you're missing it."

"You can do whatever you want with it," Yami answered, plopping down beside him.

"Alrighty then, here ya go." Yugi pulled the ring off his finger and handed it back to Yami, who took it lazily. He looked at it briefly before sliding it on his right ring finger, sighing.

"I never knew that shopping for clothes and little pieces of paper was so tiresome," Yami commented, completely drained of his energy.

"Be thankful that I'm not a girl," Yugi said. "Or it could've been much worse."

"How so?"

"Girls take forever when they're shopping. Anything they lay their eyes on grabs their attention. Whether it's clothes, shoes, bags, makeup, accessories… it's all too much. And they don't rush it either. Ooooh no, they can take more than twenty minutes debating with themselves whether or not they're gonna buy a pair of pants. I swear, never again am I doing that." Yugi waved his hands dramatically to prove his point.

"When have you been shopping with a woman?" Yami asked.

"Last year. I swear on my life I'm never doing that again. Back when our friend Téa was at school, she used to go shopping by herself. She got too lonely so she convinced us to go with her. Us being me, Joey, Marik, Ryou and Seto. She's one of the worst shoppers out there. She spends so little but spends a large amount of time going through things. The guys all got bored eventually, so they skipped off by themselves and left me with her. The bastards…"

"Where is this Téa now?"

"She went to go study the art of dancing in New York. Dancing is her passion, so she moved out there to pursue her dream."

"Good for her," Yami remarked. "Seems like she knows what she is doing. Is she living on her own?"

"No idea," Yugi said. "I mean, her parents went with her for the plane ride and to make sure she was settled in, but I doubt they'd be staying with her."

"That is a shame," Yami sighed. "I would have adored it."

"I know _you_ would," Yugi laughed lightly. "Not many teenagers are like you Yami. Most of us love being away from our parents. When they're gone, we get all the authority and no one can tell us what to do. There's nobody nagging you to clean your room, do the dishes or sort three boxes worth of priceless cards like I have to. But you… you loved being with your parents. You loved to watch them work and you had enough patience to be in the same room with them. That's really something you know that?"

"I did not know that my personality is so contrasting to so many people," Yami said, more to himself. "Humans are so eccentric. Why would you not want to be with your parents? I mean, they give you a roof over your head, food on your table and a nice bed to sleep in. Your race should be more thankful that you have those kinds of treasures."

"Don't get me wrong, we are thankful for those things," Yugi defended. "It's just that some of us take those things for granted. I'm certainly grateful for it. My jii-chan is a hard worker and he'd do anything for me, and I him. He's all I got left, and I'm not gonna throw all of that away by acting like an ass. I'm not like that."

"I never said you were," Yami said.

"Yeah, I know," Yugi sighed kind of sadly. Yami could hear it in his tone of voice and sympathized with him.

"Are you alright Yugi?" he asked in all concern.

"I guess," Yugi replied, not at all convincingly.

"You can tell me what is wrong, Yugi. I will not judge you."

"I know you won't. I just don't know what's wrong. I just feel tired, if not all the time. I feel tired right now 'cause we just got back from getting a bunch of shit for you and for me. And for the both of us. I don't know what I'm gonna tell my jii-chan about having to order a new uniform jacket, school is a fucking no-no for me right now and I don't even wanna begin to think where you're gonna have to go." Yugi sighed sheepishly and rubbed his face irritably as he threw his head back into the couch.

Yami could only look at him benevolently, really wanting to help him with his current mood. But there wasn't anything he could do. He couldn't help him with school, since there's nothing to be done about it (and because he was beyond confused with the system), he can't help him with his extreme fatigue and he definitely can't do anything about his uniform jacket situation.

Yami never had to go through any of the things Yugi has; he didn't have to go to school, or have problems with exhaustion and he didn't have to hide from his parents. It wasn't exactly a problem with Yami because he didn't have any reason to have that amount of pressure placed on him. There was no reason for him to go to school, since it didn't exist five thousand years ago and no reason for him to go behind his parents back because he was taught to respect his elders and the consequences if he didn't. The best he could do for Yugi right now is to comfort him.

"It will be fine Yugi," Yami cooed, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I am positive that this will all blow over eventually."

"I seriously doubt that," Yugi mumbled through his hands. "But thanks for the optimism." Yugi dragged his hands down his face and let them drop into his lap and slid down the couch until his head was resting on Yami's leg. Yami didn't react from the contact, as it felt nice to know that he wasn't alone anymore.

He started to stroke Yugi's hair, which seemed to calm him. Both of them, actually. Yami was getting sleepier by the minute, and it seemed as though Yugi was sleeping. It made sense, since the two had an eventful day. But there were still things to discuss, and Yami was reluctant to pull Yugi off of him.

"I am sorry Yugi," Yami muttered as he gently raised Yugi's head off his leg. "But you cannot fall asleep just yet."

"But why nooot?" Yugi whined childishly. "I was perfectly happy resting on your thigh."

"I bet you were," Yami chuckled. "But we need to put our new belongings away, and I need to find a place to stay if you do not want your werstla to see me yet."

"Werstla?" Yugi repeated, his words slurring. "Is that another one of your funny words?"

"Yes it is," Yami grinned. "My 'werstla' is your 'jii-chan'. They mean the same thing."

"Oh, alrighty then." Yugi made a stupid looking dreamy face, which made Yami a little uncomfortable. He wasn't used to Yugi projecting those kinds of faces at him.

"Yugi, are you feeling alright?" Yami asked out of concern.

"Yugi is just perrrrfect," Yugi replied, his eyes drooping.

"Oh no not again," Yami sighed. "What is causing this to happen?"

"What's causing what to happen?" Yugi asked innocently, oblivious to what Yami was talking about.

"Nothing Yugi. I will deal with that in a moment. For now you need to answer me something. Where is a safe place that I could go to tonight?"

"Mmm, well, you can't go to Marik's 'cause he has an older sister and brother and they don't know about you," Yugi began, his visage looking even more childlike than before. "Can't go to Ryou's either 'cause his dad is an asshole. Seto would probably be annoyed, since you're not Joey. I don't think Joey would mind though. He has a sister, but she lives with their mom. Joey lives by himself and I think he'll like the company. So I guess Yami will have to stay at Joey's for tonight!"

"Okay then. You go call him and I will gather my belongings."

"Sure thing!"

Yami briskly got off the couch and searched through the various shopping bags they brought home with them, while Yugi lazily pulled himself off the couch and picked up the phone on the wall. He looked idiotically at the numbers on the receiver before punching in the number for Joey's home. It took a few rings but somebody finally picked up on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Hiya Joey!" Yugi cheerfully greeted. "How's it hangin'?"

"Uhm, good Yug'. What's up?"

"Oh nothin' much. Just came back from a shopping trip with Yami. Heeey speaking of which, would it be ok if he stayed with you for the time being?"

"Why would he do dat? I thought he was stayin' wit chu?"

"Yeah he is. It's just that jii-chan is coming home tomorrow and I don't want him to see Yami juuust yet. He doesn't need to have something else on his mind as he's running the shop."

"I dunno Yug'."

"But why noooot?" Yugi whined. "I don't see the big deal. I mean, he won't try and come on to you. He's respectful like that. Besides, when you're not with Seto you're home all alone. I'm sure you'll like the extra company."

"I jus' don' think-"

"Joey come oooon. Pleeease? I won't ask for anything else and it'll only be for a few days. He's not a bad guy Joey; he's not gonna shoot you. Or bite you or mess up your shit or anything. Pleeease Joey? I promise I won't bug you again if you do me this one little favour." There was silence on the other line after Yugi's ramble. Joey had to take into consideration that his sister could visit any time she pleased. He didn't want to take a risk like that. But if it meant that much to Yugi, then he would do it just to shut the little bastard up.

"Alrighi' alrighi' fine. He can come n' stay 'ere for the night. But jus' for a lil while. I don' wan' 'im t' mess up all my shit."

"He's not gonna do that!" Yugi protested. "Thanks so much Joey! I don't know if he can drive so I guess you'll have to come and get him."

"I'll be dere in a few minutes. Jus' make sure dat he's ready when I'm dere."

"He will! Thanks a lot Joey! Yugi thanks you!"

"Yeah, uhm, no problem Yug'. I'll see ya in a few."

"Okay!" Yugi hung up the phone and turned around to face Yami, who was already ready. He had one bag in his hand, filled with the items he-Yugi, rather-bought for him. "Joey'll be here soon."

"Great. Now, to figure out what is wrong with you."

"There's nothing wrong with me silly," Yugi disagreed. "I don't know why you think there is."

"You do not usually act like this Yugi," Yami stepped forward, examining Yugi's face. "And I need to know why and how."

"But there's nothing wrong with me!" Yugi complained, crossing his arms and pouting.

"I know there isn't Yugi," Yami assured him. "But I need to figure out why you act more child-like at different times, and what is causing it."

"Ok then do what you like! I'm just gonna sit over here." Yugi stomped back over to the couch the way a child would when they've been scolded, and plopped back down. Yami only shook his head, and set his bag down on the floor before joining him. He sat on Yugi's left, and turned his body so he could focus on his face. Yugi was still pouting, and glared at Yami angrily as he got stared at.

"I don't know what you're trying to look for," Yugi spoke up. "You won't find anything."

"Do not worry, I will find the cause of the sudden change in your behaviour."

"Whatever."

'_He is acting differently than before,_' Yami observed. '_He is more angry and stubborn this time. He was more childish and foolish the first time this happened. What could have changed that?_ _I do not believe that he did this on his own. I know he would not act like this unless something forced him to. As far as I am concerned, this could have happened because of something I did. But I do not have a clue what might have-_'

Yami stopped his mini monologue in his mind and looked down at his hand. There was a slight chance that the reasoning behind Yugi's strange behaviour was because of one little object that was resting on Yami's finger.

'_I have never considered it a possibility, but it just might be the reason why he is acting this way._'

"I guess I will have to wait until another time," Yami said aloud.

"Wait until when to do what?" Yugi spoke.

"Wait until you may wear my ring again. I think it is the reason why you are acting this way Yugi," Yami explained.

"How can that be?" Yugi asked.

"I do not know," Yami sighed, looking at Yugi. "But I guess we will have to wait until another time to test my theory."

"Why?"

"Because Joey will be here momentarily to take me to his home," Yami reminded him.

"Oh right," Yugi mumbled.

"Do you not want me to leave?"

"No not really. I like having you here. It's nice to know that I have someone to spend time with when everyone else is with each other."

"What do you mean Yugi?" Yami pondered.

"It's just, my friends are together. They're dating each other; Joey with Seto and Marik with Ryou. And then there's me. At times I don't mind when they're spending quality time with each other, I just wish it didn't happen on a daily basis. But I guess it can't be helped. It's not up to me when they can and when they can't be with each other." Yugi's voice got considerably lower and his face droopier as he talked about it. Yami looked at him sadly, fully understanding the situation. Yami already knew that Yugi cared about him. It wasn't that hard to tell. Yugi constantly blushed and averted his eyes away whenever he was close with Yami and his words would sometimes slur. That was evident during their trip to the mall.

Yami gently grabbed Yugi's chin and turned his face so they were looking at each other. Yami could see that Yugi's eyes shined as the gathering water appeared at the brim of his eyes. Yami dropped his face, and spoke lightly.

"Do not worry about it Yugi. Everything will be ok." Yugi merely stared into Yami's eyes, searching for something that would help him cope with the situation. But just glancing at Yami's eyes was enough.

Yugi moved closer to Yami and placed his head in his chest. Yami wasn't expecting the contact, but relaxed and wrapped an arm around him and used his other one to pet his hair. Hair petting always seemed to calm a person down; and it worked on Yugi greatly. He could hear sniffs coming from Yugi, and the only explanation was that he was crying. Yami didn't want Yugi to cry. He never wanted anyone to cry, as it saddened him as well and made him cry with them. But Yami wasn't as affected this time, as he was tired and haggard.

Yami didn't hear anything other than the breaths shared between himself and Yugi. He stopped patting Yugi's head and looked down at him. There were dry streams of tears on his face, so Yami brushed them away with his thumb. Yugi looked him with sore red eyes, and stroked the side of his face. Yami looked at him questioningly, but didn't pull away. He could appreciate the juxtaposition, and he certainly wasn't about to ruin it.

Yami didn't react, but he didn't have to. Yugi made the first advance, as he inched his face closer to Yami's. Yugi knew exactly what he was doing, as he had done it with Yami before. Yami didn't reject him like last time, and Yugi knew that he wouldn't this time.

Yugi finally reached his target, and closed his eyes as he kissed Yami gently. He didn't sense the reciprocation at first, but once he his bit his bottom lip Yami acknowledged the light touch and began to kiss him back.

Yami placed a hand on Yugi's cheek, stroking it gently as he leaned into him. Yugi wrapped his arm around Yami's neck, and pressed their bodies together. He didn't want to be rough and ruin the delicacy he was trying to show. Yugi treasured the relationship he had with Yami, and he wanted to show him how much he cherished it.

In Yugi's opinion, being rough with each other only displays the want to get into someone's pants. No feelings, just a lot of raging hormones. But by being tender, it exposes a person of their true feelings and emotions; light touches, chaste kisses and the stroking of skin. The actions aren't necessarily a precursor for sex, but it manifests the appreciation for one another. The fact that someone can do those things and not want anything more really appeals to Yugi. Sure, sucking someone off can bring pleasure to both participants, but Yugi didn't want that. His hormones were off the wall that night and he hadn't meant to go that far. Right now, he wanted Yami to know just how much he cared for him; by being gentle and affectionate.

Yugi continued to kiss slowly and smoothly, bringing his hand around to tickle Yami's jaw. Yami shuddered slightly, the action leaving shivers to travel down his spine. Yugi kept repeating the motion, causing Yami's breath to hitch.

"That tickles," Yami managed to whisper. Yugi simply smiled and continued with his movements.

Yami guided Yugi down the couch so he was on top of him, leaving Yugi to having to deal with being bottom. He brought both his hands to Yugi's face and held it blandly. He broke away from Yugi's lips and began to leave light kisses along his jaw line and down to his neck. Yugi kept his eyes closed and turned his head to the side and ran his fingers through Yami's hair. The amount of sensitivity Yami managed to give left the hair on the back of Yugi's neck to stand up. Goosebumps ran down his arms and legs as he lay there, completely defenseless against Yami's touch.

Yami traveled back up to meet Yugi's lips again, and breathed heavily through his nose as his clothes became strangely tight. He ignored this and swiped his dry tongue across Yugi's bottom lip. That was weird. He didn't notice that the inside of his mouth now replicated the rough surface of Kul Elna. Yami silently scolded himself for the mishap and got over it quickly to regain his pace. Yugi didn't seem to be aware of the dryness of Yami's lips, since his own were moist and smooth. Nevertheless, they both continued with their make out session.

Yugi got more into it, as he dared himself to be slightly more aggressive. Yami didn't mind, so he reciprocated the same amount of new-found aggression. Their foreheads built up sweat, as did their chests and legs. It was getting a little heated than Yugi wanted it to be, so he pulled away slowly. Yami whimpered, disappointed at the loss of contact, and looked at Yugi suspiciously. Yugi just smiled at him, and gave him a kiss on his nose. Yami was going to question him, but was interrupted by the slamming of a door and a rough Brooklyn accent.

"Hey Yug'! I'm he-oh my god."

Joey stared blankly at the scene in front of him. It wasn't exactly what he needed (or _wanted_, for that matter) to see his best friend doing; especially with some guy that he barely knew. As anybody would, Joey didn't take the setting lightly.

"What da hell is going on?"

Yugi's eyes widened, and quickly shoved Yami off of him at the sound of Joey's voice. He wiped the sweat from his face as well, and took a few breaths to steady his voice before addressing Joey.

"Oh hey Joey. N-nothing's happening. We were just uh-just sitting here waiting for you."

"I see ya both got a little bored," Joey noticed, narrowing his eyes.

"It's nothing Joey really. J-Just take Yami with you and be on your way."

"I ain't so sure anymore Yug'. Dat was a very compromising position you two were in jus' now."

"Joey, come on. Be reasonable. It's not like I haven't walked in on _you_ before," Yugi shot. "I don't see why you need to act coldly."

"'Cause Yug', you hardly know dis guy and I even less. I don' wan' any funny business goin' on," Joey pointed out.

"Why should it matter?" Yugi queried. "I'm sure Yami won't act out of place when he goes to bunk with you for a while. Isn't that right Yami?" Yugi faced Yami, and he looked unsure of what to say. Yugi nodded his head in Joey's way, directing Yami to go along with it.

"T-That is right," Yami said. "I am sorry that you had to see that, but I promise you I will not act like that in front of you again."

"_Again_?" Joey repeated. "Are ya meanin' t' tell me dat dis is gonna continue?"

"Well, y-"

"Oh don't worry about it Joey," Yugi cut in, preventing Yami of saying something he would regret. "Just drop it would you? Please, just take Yami with you until I think my jii-chan is ready to meet him. If you think he's bothering you too much then yes, I will take him back. But for now can he just go with you?"

Joey looked from Yugi to Yami repeatedly, and sighed in defeat once he thought it over multiple times.

"Fine. I'll keep him until ya say."

"_Thank_ you. Now was that so hard?" Yugi teased. Joey rolled his eyes annoyingly and urged Yami on. Yami got up from his seat and picked up his bag resting on the floor. He avoided eye contact with Joey as he stood beside him. He could feel Joey's stare piercing the side of his face, so he manned up and looked right back at him. Joey seemed surprised, but shrugged it off and turned his attention on Yugi who was still sitting on the couch.

"I'll see ya at school Yug'," Joey said. "Let's go."

"Asseok Yugi," Yami waved.

"What'd he jus' say?" Joey said before leaving, looking at Yami skeptically.

"Oh, he has a whole other language," Yugi enlightened him. "He uses it around me sometimes."

"Well he better not use it 'round me," Joey remarked.

"Do not worry Joey, I will not," Yami assured him.

"Good. I'll be in the car outside. Do whateva ya have t' before comin' down." And with that, Joey waved goodbye to Yugi and disappeared downstairs.

"Well, he took that rather well," Yugi sarcastically commented, getting up to meet Yami at the door.

"I would say so," Yami agreed, chuckling to himself. "I guess I will see you when the opportunity arises."

"Yeah, I'll see ya later."

Yugi was expecting Yami to turn around and leave, but Yami kissed him on the lips before he did.

"I will be waiting," he smirked, winking at Yugi before finally making his way downstairs to join Joey.

"So will I," Yugi sighed.

So after a long and eventful day, Yugi grabbed the remaining bags off the floor and into his room, cooked some dinner for himself, cleansed himself and went to bed.

* * *

i like this chapter. sure it took me two weeks to write, but i like perfecting my work, if you could call it that. i always think of another idea to add in and i can't help but repeat the action. so be prepared!

now, before some of you get pissy or anything, SK is not a threat to the gayness. she's loosely based off of me, and i wouldn't do that to my lovely readers. you will be seeing more of her (or i guess, _me_) in the not too distant future. i find it easier to write when i include a familiar face.

if you wanna know the song SK danced to, it was Cypher by . it's a short dance as you can tell, but it's a good one. the outfit was based on what an actual person wore, except the pants, shoes and the glove. if you go on google and search 'Luhan Growl' and click images, you'll find a really attractive Chinese man with pink hair. i used his shirt, jacket and tie for SK.

i'll see you guys next time!

Annyeong~


	18. Author's Note

Don't get upset with me over this. This is just a precaution.

I may or may not remove this story temporarily. I'm just waiting until this whole SOPA ordeal blows over.

For those of you who don't know or aren't aware, SOPA is an acronym for 'Stop Online Piracy Act'. It's an American bill that was introduced in back in 2011. It's a bill stating that they want to expand the ability of U.S. law enforcement to combat online copyright infringement and online trafficking in counterfeit goods. This bill was defeated two years ago but it is back, and they made some tweaks.

The Internet Policy Task Force is proposing to make illegal streaming of copyrighted content a felony. You read right: **a FELONY**. When broken down (and this is what the record companies want), it would mean that you couldn't upload or stream covers of popular songs on YouTube, or other video sharing sites. Right now, when we illegally stream copyrighted content, it's only considered a violation of "public performance right," which is punishable as a misdemeanor.

Do you like fanart? Creating song covers? I already know you love reading and writing fanfic. Well, you better be prepared to kiss all of that goodbye. Because if this bill is passed (which it won't), everyone who is associated with any of that will be sent to prison. That's right. You'll be jailed because you drew a picture of your favourite anime character, sang one of your favourite songs and posted it on youtube, and for simply using your imagination. Cosplayers will be affected as well. Conventions will be cancelled. Why? Because there are some power hungry monsters who want to control everything we do.

Want it to stop? Then we need to fight back. We won the first time, and I'm sure as hell that we'll win again. With the help of many websites, many petitions and millions of internet users and the fothermucking _President_, SOPA was expunged in 2011. They may think they already control the internet, but they underestimated the power of its users. If we fight the power, I know we'll win.

So, because of this I may take my story down for a bit. I'm not saying I will do it for sure, but if the SOPA situation gets worse then I will take it down. Warn your viewers as well if they're unaware. You don't have to follow suit after me, I'm just making a suggestion.

(This bill violates many constitutional laws, so they can't legally pass it.)

I'm not American btw. I got that piece of information from **Yugi's sister death**.

Just a heads up guys. So be prepared.

**i'm almost done chapter 18, so i'll give you that before i decide to take it down


	19. Familiar Faces

_Intro: Solomon has finally returned home after a long, tiring trip to Tokyo. He leaves Yugi to rest, and will wait until he wakes up to give him his surprise. Solomon questions Yugi about how his week went and he receives the truth; but not the whole truth. Everything returns to normal, even when Yugi goes to school the next day. But what he encounters isn't what he was expecting..._

* * *

Yugi woke up that morning in a daze. His head was slightly pulsing against his skull, and his droopy eyes were fighting to stay awake. There was no sunlight shining through his skylight or peeking through the cracks of his curtains. Yugi's room was dimly lit, and it was only when Yugi pulled apart his drapes did he realize the rain droplets pounding against his window. Yugi sighed sadly, not really wanting the rain. Sure it helps him sleep better, but it was only dampening his mood (pun not intended). Yugi shifted his eyes to look at his clock, and noticed that he slept for a long time. It was quarter to one in the afternoon; Yugi had never slept in that long before. This was a first.

Yugi shoved his sheets off of himself and wiped his face. He felt so groggy and tired and dead. He didn't want to be alive at the moment. What he really wanted was to dig his face into his squishy pillow and get snug under his covers. But that wouldn't happen until he was placed lifelessly into his casket. In the meantime, Yugi swung his legs over his bed and wobbled into the bathroom to freshen up. He got dressed when he finished and scampered off down the stairs to welcome home his jii-chan sitting in the kitchen.

"Jii-chan!" Yugi smiled, running over to Solomon and giving him a hug.

"Ah Yugi, it's good to see you," Solomon greeted, hugging him back.

"How was your trip?" Yugi asked, pulling away.

"Not as boring as I thought it was going to be," Solomon laughed, taking a sip of his coffee. "And what about you? Did you survive without me?"

"Barely," Yugi joked. "But I got by."

"Did you have fun without my company?"

"A little," Yugi smiled, taking a seat beside him. "But I'm glad you're back. What time did you get in?"

"Around seven in the morning," Solomon answered. "I wasn't going to wake you up at that time just so I could say hello. Besides, I couldn't get you all worked up just yet."

"Why would you need to do that?" Yugi asked, leaning in closer.

"Well, while I was in Tokyo I went walking around the city and I came across a small pawn shop. You know how these things peak my interest; so I went browsing inside and I asked the man who was in charge if he had any antique or rare items he may have."

"Did he?" Yugi cut in, getting up to grab some late breakfast.

"Of course he did," Solomon replied, biting into his toast. "He went to the back room and he returned with a tiny box with him. This box actually." Solomon reached over to the chair beside him and retrieved a small black box, setting it on the table.

"What's in it?" Yugi asked, sitting back down with his cereal.

"Find out for yourself," Solomon smiled, continuing to eat his lunch.

Yugi took a bite of his cereal before he set his fork down and leaned over the table to grab the box. He was about to open it, but Solomon advised him to swallow his food before doing so. Yugi obeyed, and was glad that he did when he opened the lid and saw the contents inside.

"J-Jii-chan, t-these are-"

"Do you like them?" Solomon perked up.

"D-Do I like them?" Yugi repeated. "Jii-chan, these are amazing! How'd you get them?"

"I pulled a few strings, and with a little persuasion I was able to purchase them almost half of what they originally were."

"You're brilliant jii-chan!" Yugi cheered. "Are these really for me?"

"Well I have no reason to get them for myself," Solomon assured. "I have no need for them. But I know_ you_ do."

Yugi was speechless. He didn't think Solomon would go out of his way to buy him something so priceless and impossible to find. Yugi wasn't expecting_ —_well, actually he _was__ —_expecting Solomon to buy him something, but he didn't know he would do something like that. He may have mentioned how he managed to bring the price down, but Yugi wasn't fully convinced. He could worry about that later though; for now he would appreciate the gift Solomon gave him.

"This is great jii-chan. You really didn't have to though. Especially something so authentic and expensive if I might add," Yugi mentioned, setting the box down.

"I know I didn't, but I wanted to. Especially after seeing what they were. I knew you'd love it," Solomon answered.

"You're right, I do love them," Yugi agreed. "But honestly jii-chan, you r-"

"Yugi I am not going to take them back. I wanted to get you them and I did. So give an old man a break and just be happy." Yugi shut his rambling mouth for once and gave Solomon an appreciative smile and another hug.

"Thanks again jii-chan. These card'll be a great addition to my deck. Wait 'til I tell the guys. They're gonna be fawning over them," Yugi said, picking up his new cards. "I'm gonna put these in my deck." Yugi left the kitchen and kept his eyes on the cards in his hands rather than where he was going. He ran into his door frame before entering his bedroom, and searched his drawers for deck. He found it after rummaging around, and carefully took the cards out of its box and placed them into the middle of his deck. He shuffled them a bit, placed it back in his drawer and let out a content sigh.

Yugi was enjoying his moment of pure bliss before the unnecessary thought of explaining to Solomon why he needed a new jacket for school popped into his mind. Yugi frowned at the thought; he had thrown away his old jacket, as the blood just wouldn't come out. It left a pretty obvious residue stain, and Yugi wasn't going to sit around and answer questions that didn't need to be answered.

'_This isn't gonna be good,_' he thought nervously. '_How am I gonna get myself outta this? I'll just say that it ripped. Yeah, a big hole right in the chest area._' Yugi sighed in relief, and returned downstairs to join his jii-chan. When he got there, Solomon looked kind of drowsy. He looked like he was ready to fall asleep. Yugi was going to use this to his advantage.

"Hey jii-chan, you look beat. Did you get any sleep on your way home?"

"Not much," Solomon replied, yawning on cue. "There weren't any crying children aboard the plane, but I get restless nonetheless."

"Maybe you should go to sleep," Yugi suggested. "You'll feel better when you wake up."

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea," Solomon stretched, physically exhausted. "I think I'll go take a nap."

"Really?" Yugi was expecting his suggestion to be rejected, not taken up on. "Well, you go do that then. I'll go run the shop. You deserve a break."

"Thanks my boy," Solomon thanked, ruffling Yugi's hair before heading upstairs to his bedroom. "I'll see ya in a few hours."

"Have a good rest jii-chan, you'll need it!" Yugi shouted before heading down to the shop.

After not having the shop open for much of the previous week, Yugi received a lot of customers for his incompetence. It wasn't that difficult to keep up with his customers, but some were a little aggressive and grumpy that it began to rub off on Yugi. Some had mercy on him, as they sucked up their attitude when they saw him in distress. Yugi was grateful for their patience, and quickly finished the last of his sales. He switched the 'open' sign in the window to 'closed', and before he locked up a man appeared at the door holding a package. Yugi opened the door and the man said that he had a package for him from the school. Yugi breathed a sigh of relief and took the box from the man, and bid him goodnight as he returned upstairs.

Solomon was still fast asleep, which wasn't surprising. He got in early in the morning and the plane ride was too long for his liking. Yugi quietly entered his room, opened the box and pulled out his new uniform jacket along with a note. It said that if Yugi would acquire another jacket, that that would be the last time as it costs too much to customize it. Yugi scoffed at the note, crumpled it up and threw it into his drawer. It wasn't his fault that the original jacket gave him a rash; his body couldn't be helped. The school could shut their fat mouths and deal with it.

It was after five o'clock, so Yugi decided to make some early supper. He would wake up Solomon in a little while and cook something for him as well. Yugi made something easy and didn't require a lot of effort. Anything would satisfy him right now anyway. So he dug through his cupboards to the very back where he knew hid his Ramen noodles. He grabbed hold of it after some rummaging around and began to cook them.

A bowl, water and his packet of noodles is all that Yugi needed to be able to consume his prized piece of nourishment. Pour two cups of water into a pot, wait until it boils, pour the noodles in and stir it, wait, add the flavour packet and stir, wait, pour the water out, dish the noodles and begin to eat. Very lazy cooking indeed. But Yugi didn't care. It didn't matter how long it took for something to cook; the only thing that matters anyway is how it tastes and if it'll fill you up. And if it doesn't, then you either make something else or grab some dessert, if available.

Yugi made sure to cook his noodles perfectly, as he took them very seriously. They were his favourite dish after all. And after all his hard work, he poured out the water into the sink and slipped his noodles into a bowl and sat at the kitchen table.

He ate fairly slowly, as he didn't want to ruin his appetite. He needed to make room for more if he felt like eating something else, but for now he needed to focus on his stomach and see how much it could hold. Thankfully, his stomach remained neutral and allowed Yugi to consume whatever else he wanted.

He didn't exactly in the mood to eat anything else, so he decided to pop a squat on the couch and watch some tv before waking up Solomon. When he went to wake him up, Solomon was reluctant to get up. It had been a while since he had slept in his own bed, so he was too comfy to move. But he was a tad hungry, so he slugged himself out of bed and sat down at the kitchen table as Yugi cooked him something.

Yugi wasn't a bad cook in Solomon's opinion. He could do everything right by following the steps given, and by adding a little something of his own, like a spice or sauce, it tasted much better. Yugi made something simple yet satisfying. He went into the cupboards and reached behind until he found what he was looking for.

Yugi knew he felt two packets of Ramen noodles the first time he searched for them, and sighed when he found the other packet. He lazily began to make them again while Solomon sat patiently at the kitchen table. Yugi was hoping that Solomon wouldn't make some chit-chat conversation while he ate, but that wasn't the case.

"So Yugi, what did you do all week?" he asked between fork full's of noodles.

"Oh nothing much. School, homework. Nothing new," was Yugi's reply.

"You didn't have anybody over while I was gone?" Solomon eyed him curiously.

"Of course I did. You just couldn't tell because there's no mess," Yugi teased. "You'd be surprised what they'll do when given the right persuasion."

Solomon looked at him weirdly, but decided not to press the issue as he probably wouldn't want to know the answer.

"Were they over much of the week?"

"A few times, yeah. But they didn't wanna over stay their welcome."

"You wouldn't mind that would you?"

"Obviously not."

Solomon chuckled softly at Yugi's playful honestly, and continued to eat his noodles. Unlike Yugi, Solomon ate Ramen with the water in his bowl. Yugi didn't understand why. It made the noodles hotter than they needed to be and it was messy if it spilled out the sides. It didn't float Yugi's boat.

"How can you eat them like that jii-chan?" Yugi asked him, his eyes twitching at the sight.

"Eat them how?" Solomon pondered.

"With the water. Isn't it hot?" Yugi pointed out.

"That's how they're supposed to be," Solomon laughed. "I can't eat cold noodles now can I?"

"Well no, but they're just as hot without all the water," Yugi explained. "I just don't get why you'd wanna make them hotter than they need to be."

"As you get older you lose most of your taste buds Yugi," Solomon said. "And I guess your sense of touch. My tongue is not affected by the temperature of the water by the looks of it. Besides, I like how it soothes my throat."

"Whatever you say jii-chan. Do you want something else when you're finished?" Yugi offered.

"What's gotten into you Yugi?" Solomon joked. "Did something happen while I was gone?"

"N-No, why would you say that?" Yugi replied nervously.

"Is there something you're not telling me?" Yugi was growing a little more anxious at the question, as he thought that Solomon was referring to Yami, not his new found kindness. A bead of sweat rolled down his face, and he wiped it away quickly so Solomon wouldn't notice.

"Feeling alright Yugi? You're looking a little pale," Solomon noticed.

"O-Oh yeah I'm fine. Dealing with all those customers has me a little beat. I think I'm gonna go take a shower then go to bed," Yugi answered, getting up and heading upstairs.

Yugi was quick to cleanse himself and change into his pajamas. He returned downstairs to bid Solomon goodnight, and then he went into his bedroom and attempted to fall asleep.

* * *

Yugi woke up better than he usually would that morning. Considering that he went to bed earlier than usual, he managed to receive a decent amount of sleep. He dragged himself out of bed and shuffled into the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. He then got dressed, grabbed his backpack and went downstairs. As usual, Solomon was there at the kitchen table, drinking his coffee.

"Jii-chan?" Yugi acknowledged. "What're you doing up?"

"Oh good morning Yugi," Solomon greeted. "What do you mean? I'm always up on your school days."

"But you just got back yesterday morning," Yugi said, retrieving his cereal. "You don't have to be up."

"If I didn't, who else would be making your lunch?" Solomon smiled, sipping his coffee.

"Yeah I know, but I could always buy something from the caf at school or have food from my friends," Yugi said.

"Now now Yugi, there's no need for that. I make sure your lunch is healthy for you. Unlike those slabs of grease you teens call food," Solomon jested.

"It's not greasy," Yugi defended. "It's not exactly that healthy no, but it tastes fine."

"Ok then Yugi," Solomon sighed. "But I still prepared your lunch already."

"Thanks," Yugi yawned, eating his cereal. They continued to sit there in silence, the only sound being the clinking of Yugi's utensil against his bowl and Solomon's sips from his cup.

Yugi placed his bowl in the sink once he was done, packed his lunch and waved goodbye to Solomon as he headed out the door to meet Joey at their regular spot. When Yugi got there, Joey seemed a little agitated. So Yugi chose his words carefully when he greeted him.

"Hey Joey," he began. "How's it going?"

"Jus' peachy," Joey replied a little bitterly.

"Something on your mind?" Yugi asked as they walked along.

"Your little pal is what's on my mind," Joey spat.

"Oh boy," Yugi whispered to himself. "What did he do?"

"Absolutely nothin'," was his answer. Yugi made a face at this, but Joey continued before he could say anything. "Even though he didn't do anythin' doesn't mean he didn't do somethin'."

"I don't follow," Yugi commented. "Did he do something he wasn't supposed to? Or did he not do anything and you're upset about it?"

"All I'm sayin' is dat he didn't do nothin'. He's behavin' himself and actin' all proper and whateva. He hasn't done anythin' wrong and I don' think he will."

"Then what's the problem?"

"It's what you two did when I came t' get 'im," Joey said, causing Yugi to look at the ground and blush.

"Why would that upset you?" Yugi whispered, embarrassed about the whole ordeal.

"'Cause Yug', I don' know the guy all dat well and neither do you-"

"More than you do," Yugi added quietly. Joey heard him, but ignored it and continued anyway.

"-I was completely caught off guard when I saw you two neckin' each other on the couch. I mean, what da hell Yug'? Why would ya be doin' somethin' like dat wit' some guy ya hardly know?"

"I've known him longer than you guys have," Yugi defended, a little irritated. "He's a nice guy Joey. And I remember you saying the same thing when you left my house that night when you got food poisoning. I quote, 'Ya don't seem like such a bad guy. Take care of Yugi will ya? I'm sure he'll need it.' Un quote."

"I rememba," Joey said. "But I didn't know he'd be takin' care of ya like dat. Why didn't ya stop 'im?"

"Because I didn't want him to!" Yugi growled, becoming more pissed off with the conversation. Why should Joey be acting so concerned in Yugi's private business? It wasn't like Yugi went poking around in Joey's business when he first starting dating Seto. But they were kids back then and it wasn't really an issue. Besides, they weren't concerned about this kind of thing way back when. But this time around, when they actually have a sense of security, things are different.

Joey didn't say anything after that, so he kept his mouth shut to let Yugi cool off. Clearly he was annoyed with the situation, so Joey would give his friend the space he needed. When they could see the top of the school, Joey decided to do some last minute snooping.

"Ya really like 'im, don't ya?" he said quietly, careful not to say the wrong thing. Yugi peeked up at him subtly, and sighed before answering.

"Yes."

That answer was good enough for Joey, so he just nodded his head and followed Yugi into the school.

Yugi's classes were relatively quiet. There would usually be classmates whispering things to their friends, the crumpling of paper and the sound of pencils and pens tapping impatiently against desks. But none of that happened. The students kept quiet the whole time, listening attentively and paying attention. Most likely because their teachers were replaced by substitutes. In some schools around the world, a sub is a blessing. In others, a complete disaster. The sub is either cold and mean, or fun and enjoyable; there is no in between. But in Japan, you never know what you're going to get. The sub could act carefree at one moment, and then be shouting angrily the next. Nobody wanted to test their patience, so everyone was on their best behaviour. They didn't want to risk going to the principal's office for doing something that they didn't see as wrong. It was odd though, that leading up until lunch Yugi had four substitute teachers.

'_Not like I care,_' Yugi thought, heading outside for lunch. When he arrived at his usual table, no one was there. Marik, Ryou, Joey and Seto were nowhere to be found.

'_Huh. I wonder where they are._'

Yugi had no need to go searching for them, as he heard his name being called. He turned in the direction of the voice, only to see Ryou running towards him. He looked like he was smiling, but it was hard to tell with his mouth opening and closing from breathing so hard.

"Hey Ryou," Yugi greeted. "Where's everyone else? Why aren't you guys sitting here?"

"W-We're over by t-the water fountain," Ryou said between breaths.

"Why would you be over there?" Yugi questioned.

"J-Joey's getting in another brawl," Ryou explained. "W-"

"Will Joey and Marik never get along?" Yugi interrupted, shaking his head. "When will they ever learn?"

"Joey's not fighting with Marik this time," Ryou said, now breathing normally.

"What?" Yugi snorted. "Are you serious? The only person that Joey will fight with is Marik. Who could he be having a hissy fit with?"

"I don't know. Some new transfer girl fr-"

"A girl?!" Yugi repeated, completely shocked. "Joey's fighting a girl? Is he insane?! Why is he doing that?"

"I don't know. Something about something not being right, or some facts are wrong or whatever. I didn't really hear the conversation. All I know is that Joey started talking about something; the girl overheard it and corrected him on it. Things started to get heated and the next thing we knew the girl threw a fist at Joey and he did the same. It's pretty strange though."

"How so?"

"The girl is actually winning."

"What?"

"Yeah. She's dodged most of Joey's punches except for some to the face and stomach, but other than that she's hit him almost every time."

"Have you tried to stop him?"

"Well, Seto wouldn't 'cause he didn't want to be hit himself and mess up his face, Marik probably would've made it a three-way fight, and I'm just too anxious to do anything about it. It's quite enjoyable actually."

"Ryou!"

"What? I'm just saying..."

"Come on. Let's go get Joey before he does something he's gonna regret."

Both boys sprinted off in direction of the water fountain on the other side of the school, Yugi leading the way. Yugi was going to kick Joey's ass himself for even thinking of hurting someone else besides Marik, especially a girl. Using abusive verbal words would've been better, but not really. At least she wouldn't be beaten physically.

There was a large gathering of students shouting all kinds of things when they got there. Some were cheering either of the participants on, others were merely watching and the rest were either laughing or just staring blankly at the scene. Yugi on the other hand was confused when he pushed his way through to the front. Yugi could see Joey across from him, and his victim had its back to him. The 'girl' that Ryou mentioned was wearing the uniform for the boys. Instead of the pink long sleeve shirt and short blue skirt, she was wearing a blue jacket, a white undershirt and blue slacks. Her hair was probably pushed to the front, as none of it flowed down her back.

"Ry, are you sure this is a girl?" Yugi asked when Ryou managed to catch up to him.

"Positive," was his response.

"Then why is she wearing the boy's uniform?" Yugi noticed.

"No idea," Ryou said. "We've all been wondering the same thing."

"Why would s-" Yugi cut himself short when he saw the 'girl' knee Joey in the stomach and slightly cringed at the sound Joey made. "How long has this been going on for?"

"A few minutes, give or take," Ryou answered.

"I suppose the teachers don't care about a fight to the death then huh?" Yugi commented sarcastically.

"Guess not," Ryou agreed.

The two just kept on watching Joey fight this person, both unsure of how to stop it if they managed to get through to either of them. Yugi had to admit that he was impressed with the blocks and dodges Joey's opponent exhibited. It seemed as if the 'girl' experienced some sort of training against unfriendly assailants.

"You're right Ryou," Yugi commented. "She is good."

"Better than Joey it looks like," Ryou huffed. "Who would've guessed that this would be the day Joey loses his pride?"

"You've gotta give him some credit," Yugi pointed out. "Even though it makes me angry that he's fighting a girl—as you claim—Joey's getting better with his skills."

"Yeah alright," Ryou rolled his eyes. "Should we try to stop this?"

"Hard to say," Yugi said. "I don't want to become a part of it, and I know you don't either. I think we should see who the victor will be." Ryou smirked playfully and averted his eyes away from Yugi to the fight still going on in front of them.

It looked like both of them were getting pretty tired, going by the amount of heavy breaths and perspiration building up on their faces. They then grabbed each other by their shoulders, and spun around so they were facing the opposite direction. It was then that Yugi realized who Joey was fighting.

"Is that...? No way. What's she doing?!"

Joey smiled triumphantly as he now had his opponent in a headlock, making it harder for her to breathe. But she wasn't going to give up yet. She grabbed Joey's forearm and gripped it tightly, then shoved it off her neck and twisted it so she had him in a chicken wing position. Joey's face squinted in the slight pain of his arm being raised higher and higher, to the point where he had enough and ripped his arm away and went to give her the worst bloody nose she'll ever have.

However, the girl grabbed his fist, stopping the motion, and threw it away. She then grabbed Joey by his neck, and Joey returned the favour by doing the same thing. The two of them were standing there, holding each others' necks, both unsure of how to retaliate. Unfortunately for Joey, the girl knew exactly what she was doing. She used her free hand to grip the arm Joey was using to hold her neck, pried it off of her and held it below her. She moved forward, tightening her grip on Joey's arm and neck; she then began to dip Joey's body back with the hand holding his neck, and with one quick kick to Joey's legs, she slammed Joey's body onto the ground.

Joey landed with an uncomfortable loud thud, his head hitting the grass as well. The girl stood over him, huffing and puffing while she wiped the sweat off her face. The crowd around them had gone completely silent, except for the tiny whispers exchanged between friends about Joey losing to a girl. Joey sat up with his eyes squeezed shut, rubbing the back of his head. The girl advanced forward, knelt down in front of him and grabbed the front of Joey's shirt.

"You want some more?" she breathed unevenly.

"W-Where did ya learn dat?" Joey managed to get out, despite the aching pain in his chest.

"Learn what?" the girl replied tiredly.

"Y'know what I mean," Joey spat, now wiping away the sweat and dirt.

"Actually, no I don't," she returned harshly, spitting to the side.

"Dat moved ya used jus' now," Joey explained. "Where did ya learn how t' do dat?"

"You sound like you already know," she observed. "I can hear it in your voice."

"I have a hunch," Joey admitted, sitting up properly now. The girl loosened her grip, but didn't let her guard down.

"Then let's hear it," she demanded, narrowing her eyes.

"Ya wouldn't happen t' be part of the 104th Trainees Squad, would ya?" Joey smirked.

The girl merely blinked at him, either because she had no idea what Joey was talking about or because she was too shocked and confused to say anything. It wasn't the kind of response she was expecting, or anyone was expecting for that matter. She stared at him a bit, moving her eyes up and down Joey's face as if she were searching for some sort of joke he was trying to pull. When she found nothing, what she did next wasn't what anyone was anticipating.

She smirked right back at Joey, let go of his shirt and helped him stand up. The crowd widened their eyes a little at the change of mood, but watched intently nonetheless; this could be a possible trap set up for Joey. And if Joey knew any better, he's fallen right into it. Unless Joey was trying to pull a fast one on her, he would use her sudden kindness as an advantage. Either way, the outcome of the situation will be a shock to everyone.

"You too eh?" she snickered, clearly satisfied with the new direction of the conversation.

"Why wouldn't I?" Joey chuckled. "It's great. I'm surprised dat someone like you would be interested in it."

"What do you mean 'someone like me'?" she questioned. "Were you convinced that no girls paid any attention to it?"

"Not exactly. I jus' didn't think many girls were into stuff like dat," Joey elucidated.

"Well, now you know at least one girl who is," she smiled.

"I'm very glad t' know," Joey remarked, holding out his hand. "Truce?"

The girl looked down at Joey's hand, then back at his face. He looked genuine about it and his body language wasn't saying the opposite. Playing her cards carefully, she slowly but firmly took his hand in hers, and shook on it.

"Sure, truce," she agreed, letting go of Joey's hand. "Sorry about all this. I never should've called you out on that."

"Don' worry 'bout it," Joey laughed, waving it off. "You're pretty good to be honest. Where'd ya learn to fight like dat?"

"I just went by instinct," she replied. "And I learned by watching a lot of tv. Never knew it would actually work."

"Well, it did!" Joey answered a little awkwardly, since the students around them looked like they'd just witnessed a murder. The girl noticed this too, and leaned in closer to Joey.

"I think we should get out of here," she whispered. Joey nodded his head in response and the both of them pushed themselves through the crowd, until someone yanked Joey by the back of his jacket. He was nearly brought down to the ground again, but he maintained his balance. The girl walked on, not even noticing that Joey wasn't with her.

"What the hell was that Joey?!" Yugi yelled at him.

"What! What did I do? Ow ow alright! Stop it already!" Yugi continuously hit Joey albeit gently, causing Joey to flinch as he felt the amount of pain inflicted on his body from his fight.

"Why-would-you-fight-a-girl?!" Yugi said in between hits.

"Well if ya stahp hittin' me, maybe I'll tell ya!" Joey shouted back, shielding himself from Yugi's blows.

"Fine then!" Yugi found the strength in himself to stop abusing his best friend, and let him explain himself for his inexcusable actions. "Ok then, start talking."

"Thank you! And first of all, I'm not the one who started it. She did," Joey began, earning a stern look from Yugi. "I don' even rememba what I was talkin' 'bout. But she corrected me on somethin', I stated dat I wasn't wrong, she argued back and da cycle went on until she threw her fist at me."

"And you think it's okay to hit her back?!" Yugi shouted.

"Hey, if she wanted a fight I gave 'er one!" Joey protested. "You should know dat I don' back away from a fight!"

"Yeah, when you're fighting Marik or some other guy! Not a girl, Joey!" Yugi scolded him.

"What are ya getting' so worked up for?" Joey asked. "We made amends, and we jus' became friends. I dunno why you're still mad."

"I'm mad because you just can't fight a girl Joey! No matter what she did!" Yugi explained. "And you don't make friends by beating them up."

"Actually, she beat Joey up," Ryou suddenly spoke up. Joey face-palmed himself embarrassingly, but ignored Ryou's comment.

"Well, das how Marik and I became friends," Joey said. "And I jus' did it again, but this time it was with a girl. So stahp gettin' upset about it. It's over."

"It never should have started!" Yugi threw back. He sighed heavily, rubbing his temples. "Fine, I'll shut up about it. But next time, don't try to make a friend by fighting them, Joey."

"Cross ma heart," Joey promised, actually crossing his heart childishly. Yugi rolled his eyes.

"Do you even know who you were fighting?" Yugi asked.

"No idea. We never thought t' exchange our names," Joey said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "But she didn' look like she was from around here. She must be new."

"Nothing gets past you eh Joey?" Yugi mocked. _'Fortunately for you, I _do_ know who she was,_' Yugi thought, shaking his head. '_What was she thinking, fighting on her first day? That's insane._'

Yugi shook his head as he thought about all the bruises that will be surfacing to her skin for everyone to see; and the same for Joey too. He's gotten into enough fights as it is; even if it was just with the same person and they didn't actually hurt each other physically. Lightening the mood, Yugi explained to Joey and Ryou what Solomon brought for him.

"Are you serious?" Ryou gasped. "Those are impossible to find! How did he do it?"

"He went out for a stroll and found them in a pawn shop," Yugi recalled. "I think we should be looking in places like that for cards like that from now on."

"Do ya have them on ya?" Joey pressed, eager to see the priceless cards.

"Not right now no," Yugi said. "You guys can come over after school to see them if you want. You can bring Marik too."

"What about Seto?" Joey added, narrowing his eyes.

"What? And let him know what's coming to him?" Yugi fretted. "I don't think so. I want him to be blown away when we duel again. So don't tell him."

"Fine fine," Joey sighed, now having to keep two secrets from his boyfriend. "I wanna go and see what dat girl knows about it."

"See what the girl knows about what?" Ryou asked. "She couldn't possibly know about Yugi's new cards."

"What? Oh no, not about dat," Joey cleared up, beginning to walk away. "What we were talkin' 'bout before. I wanna see how much she knows."

"What were you talking about before?" Yugi requested, but Joey was out of earshot so he didn't hear it.

"Guess we'll probably find out tomorrow then," Ryou guessed. "I'm starving. I haven't eaten yet 'cause I was too busy watching those two go at each other's necks."

"Me too," Yugi said, holding his stomach as it growled a bit. "Let's go before we're forced to eat something in class." Ryou nodded his head in agreement, and the two headed off in direction of to eat at their usual lunch table.

* * *

By the end of the day, the word spread that Joey Wheeler had lost in a fight to the new transfer student. Everyone seemed to be impressed and some were even surprised that Joey lost to someone older than him. Apparently, the girl was a year older than Yugi and the rest of the guys which was a little strange. They would've never thought that she would be their superior. Joey had never had the strength in himself to attempt to try and take on someone older than him, so he only preyed on the weak. Well, Marik anyways.

Yugi was a little tired as he walked home with Joey, Ryou and Marik (whom Ryou had invited, as suggested). Yugi wished he hadn't told them about the cards he had, as he wanted to relive the looks on their faces when he showed them.

'_They'd probably lose their minds whether or not I told them about the cards before showing them,_' Yugi thought, shrugging his shoulders.

The walk home was pleasantly peaceful and quick without all the pointless rambling coming from any of them, along with the unnecessary appearance of anyone dangerous. That was always a good sign.

There were a few customers in the game shop when Yugi returned. He hastily made his way upstairs with his friends in tail, hoping to not be called out by Solomon to come and help him. He merely smiled and said hello to him, as did Marik, Joey and Ryou. Solomon returned the greeting, smiling and waving also. Once they were all safely in the upper level, Yugi tossed his bag to the side and led them to his room.

Yugi could sense that his friends were eager, as he could hear their breathing becoming more erratic and the noises they were making. It made sense though. It wasn't everyday that someone stumbled upon such pristine cards and were able to brag about it. But Yugi didn't want them to do that. He felt embarrassed about it and he didn't exactly like the unnecessary attention.

Yugi opened the drawer he kept them in and took out his deck. He faced his friends (who were now practically having a breakdown from waiting so long), held out his hand and told them to search through it until they found them. The three immediately took the deck, split it up into thirds, sat on the floor and began looking. Yugi sat cross legged on his bed, smirking as the scene unfolded in front of him.

'_I wonder how long it'll take until they realize__—_'

"I got nothing." Marik was the first to speak, causing a chain reaction.

"Nothin' 'ere," Joey said, sounding disappointed. The two looked at Ryou, who shook his head silently. Yugi looked pretty content with himself, and bit his tongue to hold back his laughter. Although his mouth wasn't open, Yugi's throat made a choking sound from containing himself.

"Yug'?" Joey spoke up. "What'd ya do?"

Yugi couldn't hold in his laughter anymore, so he broke out in a fit of loud giggles and chuckles. The three boys looked at each other, clearly confused with the situation. The looks on their faces just made Yugi laugh louder and harder, causing his chest to writhe in pain. Eventually Yugi gained control of himself, and calmed down before speaking.

"Did you not find them?" Yugi asked innocently, a huge smile plastered on his face.

"If we did, we wouldn't be as confused as we are," Marik said, standing up. Both Ryou and Joey followed suit, still as discombobulated as ever.

"What didja do Yug'?" Joey asked him.

"Oh, nothing out of the usual," Yugi smiled wider. "A thought occurred to me when I woke up last night, and I decided to act on it."

"Meaning...?" Ryou urged him on, growing more eager by the minute.

"Meaning," Yugi began, lying down against his pillows. "I did what my thought told me to do."

"Which is?" Marik pressed, the impatience clearly present in his voice.

"It told me to hide the cards from you," Yugi stated, crossing his arms behind his head.

"So if we wanna have a look at 'em," Joey thought. "Then we have t' search for them ourselves?"

"Right you are Joey," Yugi congratulated him childishly, clapping his hands for emphasis. "Don't worry about having to go outside or anything I hid them here. It'd be best if you didn't waste your time by standing in here."

Ryou, Joey and Marik were all gaping at Yugi, at a loss for words. They actually had to put some effort into this if they wanted to see, touch and smell Yugi's new cards? What kind of monster was he?

"Is dis some kinda revenge for me gettin' into a fight?" Joey pondered, searching his mind for something that would make sense.

"No actually," Yugi confessed, sitting up and crossing his legs. "This is just a mere coincidence. I had forgotten that I had hid them when I told you about them earlier today, so I guess this is some sort of karma for what you did."

"What did Ryou and I do to deserve this?" Marik questioned. "We didn't do anything!"

"Exactly," Yugi said. "You didn't do anything. I didn't even think of this until now. But you didn't do anything to stop Joey's fight, Marik. Because you would have turned it into a three-way fight. And I know you, Ryou, didn't do anything because you're not one for violence (except when he threw a book at someone's face) but you could've talked some sense into Joey. And for that you too must perish as well."

"But I did try to talk Joey out of it!" Ryou protested. "But he didn't listen to me!"

"Oh," Yugi breathed. He took Ryou's word for it, but he still could've done something more. So he still must be punished.

"Well it doesn't matter now," Yugi said, shaking himself from his thoughts. "If you wanna see my cards, then you're gonna have to look for them yourselves. You might be rewarded afterwards once you find them. I'll give you guys an hour."

The three of them perked up at the sound if that. What they might be rewarded for? They didn't really care at the moment. If they wanted to be holding those precious cards, then they would have to cooperate; even if the reasoning behind it was uncalled for.

The three immediately barged out of Yugi's room and began to search his house. Yugi sighed contently to himself, now in a better mood from sending his friends on a pointless scavenger hunt. Sure it was a little harsh to make them search for Yugi's new cards, but at least Yugi could have some enjoyment for the moment. He'd have to ask Joey if he could visit Yami and see how he was doing.

'_Probably missing me,_' he thought, smiling broadly. He got up from his bed, looked underneath it and felt around for the little box his cards originally came in. Once he had it, he opened it and all three cards were still there.

"I should put these somewhere obvious. They usually miss things like that."

Yugi looked around his room to find a suitable place that was out in the open, but not so obvious that they could find it in an instant. He decided to put it behind his laptop resting on his desk beside his bed. It was an ok place to be. Not too difficult to find, but can be mistaken for a personal item and therefore a person wouldn't think to look inside it.

Yugi returned to lounging on his bed, but reluctantly went into the storage room as he heard a yelp from one of his friends. He opened the door, and low and behold there was Joey, buried under a few boxes of cards. Yugi sighed from the doorway; Joey managed to throw the boxes off of him and sit up before explaining himself to Yugi.

"I know I know. Why am I lookin' in 'ere for ya cards?"

"Precisely," Yugi confirmed.

"Well, I thought ya woulda stashed them away some place dat would take an eternity to go through," Joey said. "So I started lookin' in these boxes."

"No offense Joey, but there is no way I would hide them in one of these boxes," Yugi said. "_I_ probably wouldn't be able to find them if I tried. Plus it would take too long. So why don't you come out of here and look somewhere else?"

"Yeah yeah," Joey mumbled, standing up ungracefully.

"Now, while you go look somewhere else I'm gonna go see how Ryou and Marik are doing," Yugi told, heading downstairs. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, the first thing he noticed was that one of the sofa cushions had been thrown into the kitchen. He looked to his left, and saw that the living room was a mess. He sighed annoyingly, as there was only one person who would do such a thing.

"How's it going Marik?" Yugi asked as he leaned against the couch.

"You've got a lot of shit stashed in your couches Yugi, did you know that?" Marik said, removing random items he'd found.

"Never would've guessed," Yugi replied sarcastically, smirking at the sight of his friend panting as he continued to dig through the loveseat. "You're never gonna find 'em in there, Marik."

"I beg to differ," Marik retorted.

"How's that?"

"Because I found a stray spell card in here, and I bet you did that to throw us off," Marik explained.

'_Oh boy, he's almost as bad as Joey,_' Yugi chuckled to himself. "Where's Ryou?"

"Probably down in the shop," Marik answered, tossing a small figurine over his shoulder.

"Why would he look down there? Jii-chan probably has him helping him out."

"Well that's what he gets for being so nice," Marik remarked.

"I'll go see how he's doing. You guys have half an hour left by the way," Yugi added upon looking at the clock in the kitchen. He heard Marik curse under his breath as he walked downstairs. When he opened the door to the shop he wasn't surprised by what he saw.

Just as Marik said, Solomon had Ryou helping him out with the customers he had left. Yugi sighed pathetically, feeling sorry for his friend. He saw Solomon behind the counter, picking out the Duel Monsters cards from the shelves while Ryou was at cash. He'd have to be quick about this if he didn't want to be caught doing the same thing.

"Having fun Ryou?" Yugi teased him, rounding the front of the counter.

"I couldn't say no," Ryou replied quietly. "And he really did need the help."

"Unless you want to find my cards I strongly advise that you stop doing this and came back upstairs," Yugi suggested.

"I can't just leave," Ryou protested. "Your jii-chan really needs help and I'm here to do that. I doubt Joey or Marik will be able to find them in time anyways. I know you'll show us eventually so don't worry about me."

"Are you sure?" Yugi said. "I feel bad that you got sucked into this."

"Don't worry about it Yugi," Ryou assured him. "I'll be fine. I like helping your jii-chan anyways. It makes me feel good that I'm able to do something for him."

"If you say so," Yugi concluded, turning around and returning upstairs. He heard a bit of bustling and aggravated grunts before he opened the door, and braced himself for what he was able to see.

When he walked in, Joey was frantically going through the kitchen cupboards and Marik was still going through his couches. They didn't seem to realize Yugi's presence and kept at what they were doing. They did, however, stop when they heard Yugi clear his throat.

"Enjoying yourselves?"

"What do ya think?" Joey spoke, wiping the sweat from his face.

"We've been looking for almost an hour now and we've come up with nothing," Marik added, propping himself up on his knees. "I don't think we'll be able to find them in a day if you gave us the choice."

"You're right, you probably wouldn't," Yugi agreed, walking towards the stairs. "But there's one place you guys still haven't checked yet."

"The bathroom?"

"Da laundry room?"

"Your jii-chan's room?"

"No, no and definitely not," Yugi chortled. "My room."

Marik and Joey looked at each other eagerly, and the two nearly knocked each other over as they dashed up the stairs and into Yugi's room. Yugi simply laughed at them, but then realized that they were probably going to tear up his room.

Yugi called after them, telling them to not completely destroy his room; otherwise the ending result won't be pretty. Yugi burst through his room, and Joey had already ripped his mattress from the bedding and was going through his dresser drawers as Marik was making more of a mess of his closet. Yugi face-palmed, and slammed the door to get their attention. Unfortunately, they were too zoned out in their search to hear anything around them.

"Yo! Are you guys' deaf?!" Yugi shouted, and still got no response. Sighing in defeat, Yugi skimpered over to his bed, fixed it and then laid down. He looked at his clock, and smirked when he realized that they only had two minutes left.

"Two minutes left," Yugi said. Joey and Marik stopped what they were doing and whipped their heads around to stare at Yugi in horror. "That's right. You two have two minutes and counting to find my cards."

Hearing the new found information, Joey and Marik basically had a panic attack and tripled their pace. Yugi laughed at them, as he gave himself some more entertainment. He looked at his clock again, and they now had one minute to find the cards or it's game over.

Yugi turned his head to the side, watching Marik. His eyes drifted over to his desk, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the box the cards came in were still there, right behind his laptop.

'_I can't believe they haven't realized it yet,_' Yugi thought aimlessly, brushing his bangs away from his face. He let his thoughts roam free, and they eventually landed on Yami. Yugi smiled as his face popped into his mind; the way parts of his blond bangs mixed in with the rest of his hair, his bright red eyes, his lithe but sturdy stature and his overall personality. Yugi felt his face flush, and slapped his cheeks to get rid of the blood. He sat up and reminded himself to ask Joey if he could visit him after he leaves. He looked at his clock and noticed that he gave his friends an extra seven minutes. That's what he gets for daydreaming.

"Whoa ok, time's up!" Yugi announced, causing Marik and Joey to groan in annoyance. "Oh come on guys don't start. I gave you some extra time and I didn't even realize it. So come on, stop what you're doing and have a sit."

The boys reluctantly gave up with their search, and sat in front of Yugi on his floor.

"Should we go get Ryou?" Marik asked.

"He said that he's fine," Yugi said. "He'll be up here in a few minutes I'm sure. So, do you guys wanna know where they were?"

"Obviously!" they both shouted simultaneously.

"Alrighty then."

Yugi got up and placed his hands behind his back. He waltzed over to his desk, stood in front of it and leaned against it, never breaking his gaze with Joey and Marik. He pretended to stretch his arms back, and felt around for the small box the cards were hidden in. Once he had it, he swung it around and held it in the palm of his hand. Joey's and Marik's eyes grew in size, and Joey slapped himself.

"Stupid! How could we have missed dat?!"

"It's not like Yugi to leave things out in the open," Marik muttered to himself.

"Well you both thought wrong," Yugi deadpanned. "I switched it up this time. I knew that none of you—Ryou included—would have thought to look somewhere that seemed personal, so I decided to pull a fast one on you. It was sitting there in plain sight, and neither of you had the thought to look there."

"W-Well, can we seem 'em anyways?" Joey pouted.

"Obviously," Yugi avowed. "I was going to show you them anyways, whether or not you found them on your own."

"Then what was the point of making us search your house for them if you were going to do that?" Marik whined, clearly upset with the manipulation.

"Oh don't have a cow Marik," Yugi responded. "They're here in my hand now, so go on and have a look."

Yugi opened his palm slowly, and Joey took the liberty of carefully taking the box into his own hands. He looked at Marik, excited as he's ever been, and gently took off the lid. Both boys gasped quietly, but Yugi heard it. He smiled as he watched them have their moment; Marik used his pathetic excuse of fingernails to pick up the first card, and Joey followed suit with the second card. Yugi pulled out the third card and sat down with them.

"They're awesome eh?" Yugi commented.

"Awesome? They're beautiful," Marik corrected him.

"Beautiful? More like pristine," Joey sang, his eyes drooping from the amount of preciousness the cards obtained. Yugi and Marik looked at him in surprise, as Joey never used such words to describe a piece of paper. But they were Duel Monsters cards after all. It's acceptable in the present situation.

"I can't believe you have these Yugi," Marik breathed, eying the cards precisely. "Seto's gonna piss himself when you use these against him."

"I'm not sure dat I'll be able t' cheer him up if he suffers from such a great loss," Joey sighed sadly, but waved it off and focused on the card he was holding.

"What do you mean 'if'?" Marik chimed in. "Of course he's gonna lose. He'll be questioning his whole existence after he loses to these cards."

"Alright guys enough already," Yugi broke in. "I'm always confident when I duel. But I always give my opponents the credit they deserve; even if they happen to be someone who doesn't take losses well."

"Tell me 'bout it," Joey retorted.

"You'll get better Joey, don't worry about it," Yugi encouraged him. Joey gave him a small smile and went back to admiring one of the three priceless cards he was holding.

"Where's Ryou?" Marik spoke up, looking behind him at the door. "I'm sure it doesn't take that long to get rid of people. I thought you said he'd be up here by now Yugi."

"I thought he would've," Yugi confessed. "Let's go get him. I'm sure he's dying to lay his eyes on these." Yugi placed his card back in the box, and told Joey and Marik to do the same. Yugi closed the lid back on the box, stood up and made his way down to the shop; Marik and Joey following close behind.

"Does he really like helping people that much?" Marik said as they passed the kitchen.

"Of course he does," Yugi cleared up. "Why else would he work at a place where he has to interact with the public and help them if they need it? Practically every job requires you to help people anyways."

Marik rolled his eyes childishly, and nearly tripped over Joey as they walked down the stairs.

"Watch it Marik," Joey warned him.

"Well excuse me," Marik snapped.

Yugi groaned annoyingly as he pushed the door open. He looked immediately to his right where the counter was, but neither Solomon nor Ryou was there. The horrifying truth dawned on him when he shifted his eyes to the left. Yugi stood right where he was, unable to move. Joey ran into him, so air go Marik ran into Joey. Both boys grunted in response, and looked at Yugi suspiciously.

"What's wrong Yug'?" Joey asked the wide eyed boy. He received no answer, so he looked up instead. He realized the current situation, and his body went rigid. Marik was the last to understand what was going on, as he couldn't see what was happening since Joey was a tower compared to him.

"Move over Joey," Marik muttered, shoving the boy aside. He gave him a dirty look, but his facial expression changed drastically when he turned his head.

There, right in the middle of the room was Ryou and Solomon. What any of them didn't expect though, was the appearance of Bakura and Mariku, both holding knives to their throats. Ryou's left arm was bleeding, but Solomon was untouched. Bakura had Ryou in his grasp, and Mariku had Solomon. Solomon seemed calm for an unknown reason, but Ryou was scared out of his mind.

Bakura advanced forward, still holding Ryou with the knife to his neck and stopped in front of Yugi, Joey and Marik to speak.

"Long time no see boys."

* * *

just like i promised, here is chapter 18

let me remind you, i may take this story down for a while because of SOPA. i won't take it down unless the situation gets worse. until then, enjoy.

i bet some of you were missing Mariku and Bakura eh? well, they're back and not in a very happy mood. things aren't looking too good for everyone else...

if any of you figured out the connection Joey made when he asked SK if she was a part of the '104th Trainees Squad', GOOD. FOR. YOU. it's amazing and i hope some of y'all are watching it. it has outstanding animation and the plot and characters are just asdfghjkl;dsvjndsj\afbvljfperfect

read, review if you wish and enjoy this while you can

Annyeong!

*btw, i noticed that the artist was missing when i mentioned what song SK danced to in the a/n in the previous chapter. if any of you were wondering, it was ... Cypher by


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